Sara Cox replaces Scott Mills on Radio 2 breakfast show

DJ Sara Cox will replace Scott Mills as the host of Radio 2's breakfast show, the BBC has announced.

Cox, who is originally from Bolton, currently presents Radio 2's teatime show, which she has fronted since 2019.

In a statement, Cox said she was "ecstatic, honoured and incredibly chuffed" to be taking over the station's flagship show.

"It's been a dream to host the breakfast show since I joined Radio 2 and it feels like a bit of a full circle for me," she added.

The BBC said it would announce who will take over the teatime slot at a later date.

Cox reflected: "I've had the most glorious seven years of my career on teatime so thank you to my brilliant teatime listeners who hopefully will join me at breakfast for excellent music and all my usual nonsense plus some superstar guests."

She concluded: "I honestly can't wait to wake the nation up with the biggest most fun breakfast show ever."

Gary Davies, who regularly covers daytime programmes when the main presenters are off, has been hosting Radio 2's breakfast show since Mills was sacked by the BBC in late March.

Mills was dropped after the corporation received new information relating to a police investigation over alleged historic sexual offences.

Hosting the Radio 2 breakfast show is one of the most high-profile and prestigious jobs in British radio, although it is not the station's most listened to programme.

The mid-morning show, currently hosted by Vernon Kay, has been the most popular radio programme in the UK since 2019, a record it first achieved under Kay's predecessor Ken Bruce.

Before taking over the teatime slot from Simon Mayo in 2019, Cox presented other shows on the station including Sounds of the 80s and the weekday late-night programme.

The 51-year-old was also a regular stand-in on Radio 2's breakfast show during Chris Evans's tenure, and previously hosted the Radio 1 breakfast show in the early 2000s.

Cox has also presented several TV programmes for the BBC, including The Great Pottery Throw Down and book review series Between The Covers.

Last year, she raised £11.5 million for Children in Need by running the length of five marathons over five days.

Cox will become the station's second female breakfast host, after Zoe Ball. The show's longest-serving incumbent was Sir Terry Wogan, who presented it for more than 28 years in total.

A former model, Cox launched her broadcasting career in the late 1990s, presenting on MTV as well as Channel 4 shows The Girlie Show and The Big Breakfast.

Radio 2 chief Helen Thomas said she was "delighted" that Cox was taking over the breakfast show, saying that she "thoroughly deserves this gig".

"Sara is adored by her millions of listeners at teatime, and having regularly deputised in the slot, I already know she'll build a brilliant rapport with the breakfast audience and get the nation going each morning with her trademark warmth and humour," she said. "I can't wait to hear her first show."