Scott Mills’ BBC Radio 2 co-host Tina Daheley addresses ‘incredibly difficult week’ as she explains her own absence from the show after her colleague was sacked for ‘personal misconduct’

Scott Mills’ Radio 2 colleague Tina Daheley has broken her silence following Scott’s sacking from the BBC, admitting it has been an ‘incredibly difficult week’.

The 53-year-old Radio 2 DJ was sacked on Monday following allegations he was questioned by Scotland Yard over allegations of serious sexual offenses against a child under 16 in 2018.

The investigation was dropped without charges in 2019 after the Crown Prosecution Service said there was not enough evidence.

But she hasn’t been on air since Scott sacked co-host Tina, leading colleagues to ask many questions about her whereabouts.

On Wednesday morning Tina confirmed she was off sick but hinted at the turmoil by describing the past week as ‘incredibly difficult’.

She wrote, reassuring her followers that she is currently in recovery: ‘Good morning! I’ve almost recovered from this terrible cold/flu I had last week (being a parent of an elementary school-aged child is like having a subscription service to viruses!)

The 53-year-old Radio 2 DJ was sacked on Monday following allegations he was questioned by Scotland Yard in 2018 over alleged serious sexual offenses against a child under 16 (pictured with Tina and Ellie Brennan)

‘The good news is that I’m over the worst and after an incredibly difficult week last week, I’m looking forward to spending 2 weeks over the Easter holidays with my family from tomorrow.’

Confirming he will return to the show in two weeks, he added: ‘I’ll be back on radio on Tuesday 21st April x.’

Tina and Scott have been working together at the station since Scott accepted the Breakfast Show role in January 2025, and Tina has not appeared on air since her “work husband” was fired.

“Questions are being asked about Tina’s whereabouts,” an insider told the Daily Mail on Tuesday.

Tina, 44, started working at the BBC in 2007. In 2019 she left Radio 1 alongside Nick Grimshaw and joined Radio 2, working with Zoe Ball until Scott took over.

In January this year, Tina took to Instagram to talk about how much she loved her ‘Radio 2 family’ and shared a photo of herself with Scott and the rest of the team.

Scott was sacked after 27 years at the BBC; It was later revealed that an investigation was launched against him due to allegations that he committed “serious sexual crimes” against a child under the age of 16 between 1997 and 2000, and he was acquitted.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed they questioned Mills about the accusations when they were notified of them in 2016, but the Crown Prosecution Service found there was insufficient evidence and closed the case in 2019.

The BBC refused to say why he was sacked other than it was related to his ‘personal behaviour’.

But the company is facing new questions about why it was kept on the air despite knowing it was discreetly conducting interviews between 2018 and 2019.

According to The Mirror, the BBC is now said to have been given new information about the same victim but different from previous allegations.

BBC chiefs were said to have examined the new details in recent days and “decided it had to go”.

Meanwhile, it was claimed that Mills told the BBC that he was questioned by the police in 2018. A source quoted by The Sun said: ‘The BBC knew Scott was being questioned by police and told them. Scott said he denied the allegations against him.’

TV presenter Piers Morgan posted on X: ‘I don’t understand. He was investigated by the police 10 years ago for crimes he allegedly committed 25+ years ago, but no action was taken and the case was closed.

‘Now he gets fired instantly for the same thing? Surely the BBC needs to explain why, right?’

The Daily Mail revealed this week that the complaint that led to Mills being axed was thought to have come from someone who inspired conversation again this year following Channel 5’s recent docudrama about disgraced former BBC newsreader Huw Edwards.

A BBC executive in London told the Daily Mail there was a genuine belief among bosses at the corporation that the timing was ‘no coincidence’.

Channel 5 documentary Power: The Fall of Huw Edwards was broadcast last week and detailed the former BBC newsreader’s downfall.

A source said: ‘The Huw Edwards drama has shown there could be a reckoning.’

Former BBC News anchor Edwards was given a six-month suspended prison sentence after admitting three charges of taking indecent photographs of children.

Edwards, who criticized the program in an angry statement to the Daily Mail last month, was played by Martin Clunes in the Channel 5 series.

He ‘liked’ a LinkedIn post sympathizing with the ‘stressful’ situation Mills was facing.

Mills reportedly did not receive calls from concerned friends following his dismissal.

On Wednesday morning Tina confirmed she was off sick but hinted at the turmoil by describing the past week as ‘incredibly difficult’.

A source quoted by The Mirror said he has been ‘grounded’ since the decision was made and friends are ‘finding it difficult to communicate with him’, adding: ‘This show has been his life and he is in danger of being forgotten.’

It was also claimed that close friends and acquaintances were ‘left completely unprepared by the events of the last few days’ and knew nothing about his dismissal or the police investigation in 2016 until Monday.

Jeremy Vine, his BBC Radio 2 colleague, described the sacking of Mills as ‘unfair’ and insisted on his own show on Tuesday: ‘There was no wrongdoing.’

Vine, who hosts a daily Radio 2 show examining the day’s headlines, shared his sadness at Mills’ departure, while suggesting bosses got rid of him out of regret at not being able to deal with Huw Edwards’ behaviour.

The presenter said: ‘Huw Edwards couldn’t have been sacked because he was in a fragile mental state and everything I’ve read about Scott’s past today is based on his own anxiety and depression but there doesn’t seem to be the same cut-off for him.’

Vine was among BBC reporters who expressed shock on Monday after the BBC announced Mills’ sacking.

He began his show on Tuesday by telling listeners: ‘A lot of people were confused by the dismissal of Scott Mills. What do you make of this? I would love to know.

‘We heard the news on Radio 2 just before 12pm yesterday; It was a complete shock for those working at the station; ‘We have been told that our breakfast show host Scott Mills has been sacked following allegations about his personal conduct.’

Later in the programme, Vine added: ‘This is a very painful incident for everyone who knew Scott; He’s a very popular man in the building.’

Vine also spoke to the BBC’s media and culture editor Katie Razzell. Razzell said he asked bosses “a range of questions” about Mills’ dismissal, particularly about whether there had been any previous police investigations into Mills.

Police said the man, who was in his 40s at the time of the 2016 interview, was being investigated that year for allegations of serious sexual offenses between 1997 and 2000.

He was questioned under caution by police in July 2018.

Mills was not charged with a criminal offense and the case was closed due to lack of evidence.

The Metropolitan Police does not release the identities of people being investigated before any charges are brought.

A spokesman said: ‘In December 2016 the Met launched an investigation following guidance from another police force.

‘The investigation relates to allegations of serious sexual offenses against a teenage boy. These reportedly occurred between 1997 and 2000.

‘As part of these investigations, a man who was in his 40s at the time of the interview was interviewed under caution by police in July 2018.

‘A full dossier of evidence was submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service, who determined that the evidentiary threshold for bringing charges was not met. Following this recommendation, the investigation was closed in May 2019.’

Scotland Yard confirmed the child was under 16.

In an email to staff on Monday, BBC music director Lorna Clarke wrote: ‘I wanted to personally inform you that Scott Mills has left the breakfast show and the BBC.

‘I know that this news will be sudden and unexpected and therefore shocking. At least as many of us have worked with Scott over many years on R1, 5Live, R2 and a wide range of programs on TV.

‘I felt it was important to share this news with you at the first opportunity.

“Of course this will come as a shock to our viewers and loyal breakfast show listeners too. “I’ll let everyone know more about the plans for the show when I get the chance.

‘While I appreciate that many of you will have questions, I hope you can understand that I will not say anything further at this time.’

The BBC said it would not comment beyond an earlier statement: ‘Whilst we do not comment on matters relating to individuals, we can confirm that Scott Mills is no longer contracted to work with the BBC.’

The company also issued an apology for not following up after a journalist brought forward Mills’ claim of ‘inappropriate communication’ last year.

The BBC said: ‘We received a press query in 2025 with limited information. This would have to be followed up and we would have to ask other questions. We apologize for this and will investigate why this did not happen.

‘More generally, we would always encourage anyone with concerns or information to contact us about this.’

After working in local radio in Hampshire, Bristol and Manchester, he joined BBC Radio 1 in 1998 from Heart 106.2, where he started in 1995.

She rose through the ranks from the early breakfast show in 1998 to the afternoon show vacated by Sara Cox in 2004.

Renamed The Scott Mills Show, the program ran from 2004 until 2022, when Mills jumped to Radio 2 and replaced Steve Wright in the afternoon slot.

She took on the acclaimed Radio 2 Breakfast Show role when she took over from Zoe Ball in January last year.