“It’s been one of the greatest privileges of my life"
BBC Radio 2 newsreader Tina Daheley has announced she is leaving her breakfast show after 18 years of presenting.
She shared the news during Tuesday morning’s Radio 2 Breakfast programme while appearing alongside stand-in host Gary Davies.
Her departure comes just days before Sara Cox takes over as the permanent host of the Radio 2 Breakfast Show following the dismissal of Scott Mills in March.
Speaking live on air, Daheley said: “It’s been a privilege to have had a whole generation of people grow up with me.”
She later expanded on her decision in a post on Instagram, confirming that her time on the station’s flagship breakfast programme was coming to an end.
Daheley wrote: “After more than 7 years of early alarm calls on Radio 2, I’m stepping away from Radio 2 Breakfast.
“It’s been one of the greatest privileges of my life to wake up with you every morning, and humbling to have been trusted to deliver the news on the biggest breakfast show in Europe.
“My breakfast run ends at Radio 2, but it all started at 1Xtra, where I landed my dream job reading the news on Trevor Nelson’s Breakfast Show.
“From there, I spent a decade broadcasting to 1 in 4 young people in the UK on Radio 1.
“After 18 years and six back-to-back breakfast shows (probably a record in there somewhere), I’m looking forward to a lie-in.”
She also wished incoming host Sara Cox well, writing that she was “wishing Sara and her team the very best of luck. I’ll be tuning in while doing the school run”.
During her farewell announcement, Daheley revealed that her five-year-old daughter Athena was looking forward to seeing more of her mother, telling colleagues that she is “so excited to have her mummy back”.
Tina Daheley also teased a potential new project, adding:
“I’m not leaving Radio 2, you’ll hear me between 12-2pm when Jeremy’s away and you’ll see me on BBC One after the summer.”
“Beyond that, watch this space.”
Beneath the post, Zoe Ball wrote:
“Love you Tina. Class act darling girl. I can highly recommend the later start to your day.”
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Tina Daheley’s breakfast radio career began in 2007 when she joined BBC Radio 1Xtra, a role she has previously described as her “dream job”.
She later moved to Radio 1, where she worked alongside Chris Moyles and Nick Grimshaw as a sports and news presenter on the station’s Breakfast Show.
Despite previously saying she was “done” with breakfast radio, Daheley returned to the early-morning slot when Zoe Ball took over the Radio 2 Breakfast Show in 2019.
She remained on the programme after Scott Mills succeeded Ball in 2025, often referring to him as her “work husband”.
Earlier in 2026, Daheley spoke about going through a “difficult” period after Mills was dismissed by the BBC following allegations of “serious sexual offences” involving a teenage boy under 16.
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