Scott Mills

The Radio 1 presenter is a remarkable example of longevity. Here. He tells he how he stays current, and in shape…

Scott, you’ve been working at Radio 1 for what feels like forever, how have you stayed relevant for so long?

I feel like I’m a sponge for popular culture, whatever is happening I fee l like it’s my job to be on top of it, which keeps me relevant. I make it my mission to know about stuff so I stay relevant.

You were once Britain’s youngest DJ aged just 16 – how did you do it?

I wanted to do radio ever since I can remember, my mum suffered endless hours of me pretending to be on BBC Radio 1 in my bedroom, where she was my only listener. I still have to kind of pinch myself to believe that I’m actually on that station, and for such a long time as well. I was lucky enough to get work experience at my local station when I was 16. A lot of their DJs went on holiday that summer, so they put me on and it went from there!

Has social media changed the way you present your shows, in terms of listener engagement?

Completely! Me doing a show now and me doing a show when I first started at Radio 1 are two different things. Things move so quickly now that you’ve really got to be on it – it has changed the world, people find out about events, good and bad, on social media first. It’s a really important part of my show and I like that we can get instant reactions.

You’ve worked morning shows, night shows and now in the afternoon… which is the most disruptive to living a healthy life?

Fresher’s gigs are actually the worst for being healthy! Every September I do about 15 of them and this year I’ve been to Cardiff, Lincoln, Nottingham and York to name a few. It’s a lot of late nights, getting in at 6am, eating petrol station food along the way. Not too healthy!

Does presenting in the afternoon give you plenty of time to exercise either before or after work?

Both! Depending on what time I can see my PT – I’m not good at exercising on my own, although I don’t like when they tell you what to do. It just depending on schedule and what I’ve got going on.

You love running… so what do you do on a normal week?

I got really got into it about five years and did four half marathons in two years, then I got bored and fell out of love with it. But I’ve picked it up again and started running with a friend who makes me go with them so I’m getting back into it. I’m doing a half marathon in March next year and am looking forward to it! I’m raising money for the MS Society.

What next? Full marathon, obstacle course race?

A full marathon really, really scares me and I take my hat off to anyone who does it. It fills me with fear! Only a few things fill me with fear, abseiling and marathons! So I’d like to face my fear and give it a go one day.

Are you a gym goer as well?

Yes, I train at the gym with my PT three to four times a week, depending on my schedule.

Do you find fitness helps you in your work?

Totally. If I train before a show, I find it gives me loads of energy and I’m buzzing after it. It makes my show better, to the point where my producers have even noticed!

You admit being shy as a kid. How did working as a radio presenter change that?

Working at Radio 1 has given me confidence because you get thrown into the deep end a lot. Say you are working at the Brit awards there can be three huge stars waiting to be interviewed by you, so there isn’t really any time for fear! You’ve just go to do it, so you might as well relax and enjoy it.

Are you an anxious person? Does exercise help you?

Yes, and yes! I find that if I go for a run/a gym session I don’t check my phone, so it’s a really good time to free my mind from the things that run through it.

You have to be bubbly, funny and on your game in every show. Is that quite hard? We all have rough days…

Yes, there are days where you obviously have a rubbish day, but that’s the job really. You’ve got to perform – you just get on with it really.

**Did you have to work on your fitness for Strictly Come Dancing? Have your fitness habits changed since?**

Strictly makes you get fit because it’s ridiculously hard! If you’re doing a really quick dance, a quickstep or a Charleston, they are super-fast and by the end of the day you are dripping with sweat. I took three t-shirts to training everyday – it is such a workout, seven or eight hours a day.