Sara Joanne Cox (by marriage Cyzer; born 13 December 1974) is an English broadcaster and author. She presented Radio 1 Breakfast on BBC Radio 1 from 3 April 2000 until 19 December 2003.^[1] Since January 2019, she hosts the BBC Radio 2 drivetime show, Monday to Friday.

Quick Facts Born, Other names ...

Sara Cox
Cox at Manchester Fashion Week, October 2007
Born	Sara Joanne Cox (1974-12-13) 13 December 1974 (age 49) Bolton, Greater Manchester, England
Other names	Sara Cox
Occupation(s)	Television presenter, radio presenter, author
Years active	1996–present
Spouses	Jon Carter ​ ​ (m. 2001; div. 2005)​ Ben Cyzer ​ (m. 2013)​
Children	3
Website	www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b25n9h

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Cox has also presented a number of television shows for the BBC including The Great Pottery Throw Down (2015–2017), Too Much TV (2016) and Back in Time for... (2018–2020).

Cox was born Sarah Joanne Cox on 13 December 1974, but later dropped the use of the letter 'h' from her first name.^[2] Her parents lived in the village of Little Lever near Bolton, Greater Manchester, where she grew up on her father's farm.^[3] She was the youngest of five children. Her parents separated when she was six or seven, after which she moved with her mother and a sister to another house in the same village.^[4] Cox attended Smithills High School until the age of 16, and left Canon Slade School after her four A-levels^[5] to pursue a career in modelling.

She appeared in the music video for Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark's 1993 single "Everyday",^[6] and on a controversial promotional poster for the 1995 video game Wipeout.^[7]

Cox won her first television show role in 1996, presenting The Girlie Show on Channel 4.^[8] She later had stints on Channel 5 entertainment show Exclusive and Channel 4 music programme Born Sloppy. In 1997 Cox presented on the UK feed of MTV, hosting MTV Hot, a late-night music show. In 1998 Cox won her first film role in The Bitterest Pill.^[9][10]

In September 1998, Cox became a presenter of The Big Breakfast, following in the footsteps of her close friend Zoe Ball. During her time on the programme, she interviewed stars including Robbie Williams, Sting and Leonardo DiCaprio. Cox preferred to do interviews in her father's caravan, situated in The Big Breakfast garden.

In June 2011, Cox began hosting the fourth series of the comedy programme Hot Gossip on BBC Radio 2, covering for Claudia Winkleman, who chose not to present the series as she was heavily pregnant at the time.^[15] In 2012, Cox covered for Alex Lester, the late Janice Long, Ken Bruce, and Vanessa Feltz, as well as providing cover for Simon Mayo Drivetime and Steve Wright in the Afternoon.

Also between 2012 and 2018, she was the stand-in of The Radio 2 Breakfast Show covering for Chris Evans.

Cox joined BBC Radio 2 for her first regular show each Saturday night from 22:00 to midnight, presenting a 1980s decade show Sounds of the 80s to complement the weekend 1960s and 1970s decade shows. The show began on Saturday 5 October 2013.^[16] The show moved to Friday nights from April 2016.

Between 14 May 2018 and 13 December 2018, Cox began a new late-night show on Radio 2; the show ran from Monday to Thursday between 22:00 to midnight. She was replaced as host of Sounds of the 80s by Gary Davies; Cox presented her final edition of the show on 11 May 2018.^[17]

On 29 October 2018, it was announced that Cox would succeed Simon Mayo as drivetime presenter on 14 January 2019.^[18]

On 1 July 2022, it was announced that, in September, Cox would extend her drivetime show by an hour to run from 4–7pm to coincide with Scott Mills joining the station on a permanent basis to present from 2–4pm.^[19]

In July 2007, Cox presented London Live on Channel 4, and appeared as a guest star on the Sky1 show Angela and Friends in November 2009^[20] and as guest presenter in January 2010.^[21] Also in 2010, she appeared as a team captain on What Do Kids Know? along with Rufus Hound and Joe Swash on the Watch channel.^[22]

Cox commentated for the semi-finals of the Eurovision Song Contest on BBC Three with fellow BBC Radio 1 DJ Scott Mills^[23] at the 2011 Contest and 2012 Contest, and again in 2021 as a late stand-in for Rylan Clark.^[24] Cox was replaced by Ana Matronic starting from the 2013 Contest.^[25]

On 21 October 2014, Cox guest presented a Children in Need episode of The Great British Sewing Bee.^[26]

In April 2015, it was announced that Cox would present The Great Pottery Throw Down for BBC Two. The first series began in November 2015 and the second in February 2017.^[27]

In 2016 Cox co-presenting Too Much TV, a daily magazine show on BBC Two.^[28]

In 2017, Cox appeared on Dara O Briain's Go 8 Bit and was on Steve's team in the show. She lost the episode in terms of points.^[29] On 4 June 2017, Cox co-presented the One Love Manchester benefit concert special and British television special with Ore Oduba.

Since 2018, Cox has co-presented Back in Time for..., where a modern-day family enjoy meals that were eaten by families of years gone by. She replaced Giles Coren.^[30] From May 2018, Cox presents Love in the Countryside for BBC Two.^[31]

On 5 March 2019, it was announced that Cox would host a new ITV show, entitled The Sara Cox Show, which would feature entertainment, live music and celebrity guests and which would air on Saturday and Sunday mornings.^[32]

In October 2020, Cox launched and presented Between the Covers on BBC Two, a seven-episode book programme, renewing for five series, as of December 2022.^[33]

In March 2019 her book Till the Cows Come Home: A Lancashire Childhood, a memoir of growing up in 1980s Lancashire, was published by Coronet Books.^[34]

Her debut novel Thrown was published in May 2022. Her second novel Way Back was published in March 2024.

Cox was one of 52 celebrities contributing to a children's story entitled Once Upon a Time^[49] to promote a new charity directory inquiries number 118 520. The book will be auctioned with the profits going to the NSPCC. Cox is also a named supporter of the animal charity PDSA, and has promoted the charity by being photographed^[50] with her pet dog, Snoop, by the late Lord Lichfield. Cox and other celebrities entered the women's race (The Magnolia Cup) fundraising for the charity Great Ormond Street at Glorious Goodwood on 28 July 2011. She came ninth.^{[citation needed]}

Cox has also been an ambassador for Centrepoint—the UK's charity for homeless young people—since 2000, making her its longest serving celebrity supporter.^[51] She takes part in the charity's flagship fundraising event, Sleep Out, every year, sleeping outside in a London location with around 800 other fundraisers. She also gives her time to Centrepoint for other events, messages of support and fundraising promotions.^{[citation needed]}

In 2006, Cox participated as a celebrity showjumper in the BBC's Sport Relief event Only Fools on Horses.^[52]

From 09:30 on 20 March 2017 to 09:30 on 21 March 2017, Cox did a 24-hour danceathon on her own on BBC Radio 2, raising money for Comic Relief, Red Nose Day. She raised over £800,000 for Red Nose Day according to the commentary on television and the newspaper Manchester Evening News.^[53]

In November 2006, Cox was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Bolton for contributions to broadcasting.^[54]