Radio 2 presenter Sara Cox has spoken candidly about being bullied at school, revealing how she later got revenge on one of her tormentors. The 44-year-old appeared on ITV's Lorraine to promote her book, Till the Cows Come Home, which details her childhood on a farm in Bolton.
Cox described an incident when she was 12 years old, where bullies held her hands behind her back and shoved an ice cream in her face. She reported the bullying to teachers, but they did not believe her because she was the new girl. It was only after the 'ice cream-gate' incident that a teacher witnessed the harassment.
Reflecting on the experience, Cox said: 'It was that mild intimidation, being a bit worried about walking along the corridor in case you get tripped up, the whispering in class. It is horrible.' She believes schools have tightened their grip on bullying in recent years, particularly with the rise of social media.
Years later, as a successful Radio 1 presenter, Cox had the last laugh when one of her bullies contacted her for an on-air shout-out. She dedicated a whole link to describing how the bully had made her life miserable. 'It kind of felt good at the time. It was perhaps a nice closure on it all,' she said.
Cox was recently named Radio 2's drivetime presenter, following her friend Zoe Ball's appointment to the breakfast show. She dismissed suggestions of rivalry, saying: 'The headline two women each getting an amazing job and being amazingly happy is really boring. Because it's women as well they always want to pit women against each other. It's kind of annoying.'
