Jo Whiley has candidly revealed how she stopped “losing herself in grief” after a series of tragic bereavements – including BBC colleagues Steve Wright and Simon Willis.
The Radio 2 DJ, 58, told how she had lost six friends and had “bulletproofed her life” in order to stay healthy for her children as a result.
Jo, who shares India, 31, Jude, 25, Cassius, 22, and Coco, 15, with husband Steve Morton, told Woman & Home: “Life can change so quickly. Often, when you don’t expect it.
She then explained how her husband lost two of his closest friends around the same time, saying: “Our children grew up together, and we would go on vacation and spend weekends with them.”
“All of a sudden we are adrift and we have to try to be pragmatic. Instead of getting lost in grief, you need to say to yourself, “Okay, what can we do to make things better?”
Jo Whiley, 58, candidly revealed how she stopped ‘losing herself in grief’ after a series of tragic bereavements – including BBC colleagues Steve Wright and Simon Willis
The Radio 2 DJ told how she had lost six friends and as a result had “bulletproofed her life” in order to stay healthy for her children.
The Radio 2 DJ told how she lost six friends and as a result “bulletproofed her life” to stay healthy for her children (Jo pictured with her family)
Jo said she decided to ‘reshuffle her lifestyle’ after losing other friends to COVID, epilepsy and stomach cancer, as well as the death of Radio 1 producer Simon of a brain tumor in 2021.
“These are things that can happen anyone, anytime, so I decided I had to protect my life from bullets. I don’t want to leave early and I need to do everything I can to keep this body functioning for as long as possible.
“I want to be here for my children. Hence the swimming, diet, vitamins and routine health checks. I get a mole check every year because I’m pretty mellow and haven’t been as careful as I could have been about tanning and tanning in the past.
Elsewhere in the interview, Jo discussed the realities of aging and concluded that age is not a barrier.
Say, “If I ever worry about getting old, I think, “Thank God You’re alive” and I’m very grateful.”
“There’s a lot to understand because visually and physically things change with age, so you have to deal with that.”
The veteran presenter previously revealed she had cut back on sugar, drank less and exercised more in order to stay fit since the tragic losses.
“All our big players that we hung out with are dead,” she said. The telegraph.
Speaking about her grief, she said: “All of a sudden you’re adrift and you have to try to be pragmatic. Instead of getting lost in grief, you need to say to yourself, “Okay, what can we do to make things better?”
Another recent loss was that of fellow Radio 2 DJ Steve Wright, who died in February aged 69.
Jo said she decided to “overhaul her lifestyle” after losing other friends to COVID, epilepsy and stomach cancer, as well as Radio 1 producer Simon, dying of a brain tumor in 2021 (pictured together).
Jo said: “These are things that can happen to anyone, at any time, so I decided I had to protect my life. I don’t want to leave early and I need to do everything I can to keep this body functioning for as long as possible.
“So we have to be the hosts of the party because all the children of all the people who died come to our house. It’s really depressing, but it’s the real truth.
“They were the ones we went out with and did a lot of fun things, so all of a sudden you’re like ‘now what do we do?’ she added.
Jo said grieving the loss of her friends has been extremely difficult, not least because her routines have completely changed.
She spoke of waiting for her friends to arrive on a Friday night, adding: “And you just wait, you look at the door, you say, ‘oh no, he’s not coming back, no, he’s dead, he’s not coming back more. ‘.
She said she still misses her friends dearly and struggles to fill the “gaping holes” they left.
Another recent loss was that of fellow Radio 2 DJ Steve Wright, who died in February aged 69. After his shock death, she wrote: “What a man. What a legend. The diffuser of the diffuser.
“One of the kindest and sweetest people I have ever had the pleasure of working with. Thanks for the support and musical chat over the years.
‘I can’t believe we won’t meet up in the bowels of MV for our weekly catch-up. Love you Wrighty.’
Whiley believes the deaths of her friends inspired her to stay fit and healthy herself.
The former Radio 1 DJ enlists the help of a personal trainer who helps her prepare for festivals, while she also goes swimming three or four times a week and runs with her music director husband Steve Morton, a few times per week.
Although she admits she’s not a natural runner and hates it, Jo believes staying fit helps her mind and body and makes her feel stronger.
The DJ – who has also hosted the BBC’s Glastonbury coverage since 1997 – even prepares for her gigs by stretching and swimming – when possible – as she suffered from neck and shoulder pain after performing gigs .
The network also found that her alcohol tolerance had decreased as she got older – and that drinking a third vodka made her feel “horrible” the next day.
She admitted that when she and her husband host parties at their Northamptonshire home – a converted 18th-century barn surrounded by fields – she’s the one who does the cleaning while the party is in full swing.
The veteran journalist previously revealed how she stopped consuming sugar, drank less and exercised more in order to stay fit after the tragic loss of her friends.
The DJ even prepares for her concerts by stretching and swimming – when possible
Jo – who is vegetarian – also made changes to her diet, including cutting out sugar, taking vitamins and watching her diet.
Since January, she has been trying to eat more vegetables, nuts and legumes and fewer sugary foods – which she finds difficult. But it was at Christmas in Thailand, where her father-in-law lives, that she realized how much sugar she was consuming.
Jo, who suffers from arthritis in her fingers and hands, said she would wake up with swollen fingers. The presenter and her husband also undergo health checks and during an examination Morton discovered he had high cholesterol.
The JUNE issue of woman&home is on sale THURSDAY 25, 2024
The JUNE issue of woman&home is on sale THURSDAY 25, 2024