Clara Amfo has revealed that depression and burnout were behind her decision to leave her BBC Radio 1 show after eight years on air.
The 41-year-old presenter, who fronted the station’s Live Lounge, The Official Chart and regularly covered Glastonbury, told Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place podcast she reached “a really negative headspace” in 2023 and needed a “reset.”
“I was burnt out, I wasn’t taking care of myself properly and I think I was a bit overwhelmed by life’s injustices,” she said. “The start of 2023, I was in the flipping trenches. I was feeling really, really depressed mid-year and I took some time off radio. That’s when I decided I was going to leave my show.”
Amfo joined Radio 1 in 2015 after a stint on 1Xtra, having moved from Kiss FM. She became one of the station’s most recognisable voices, championing new artists through her “Hottest Record” feature. She said she wanted to step away while she still loved the role: “I never want to resent anything or for it to feel like a chore.”
Her exit in 2023 marked the end of a decade at the BBC. It comes after Amfo revealed she had considered liposuction following struggles with body image, but ultimately decided against surgery. Reflecting on working in an industry “obsessed” with appearance, she added: “If I existed in a different body – looser hair pattern, a few shades lighter – I wonder if my career would be different.”
