A 'proud' celebrity life coach who worked with Sara Cox in 2011 has stepped out of the shadows after she was named Scott Mills's Radio 2 replacement. Michael Heppell, from the UK, congratulated Sara, 51, on Instagram last month after the BBC confirmed she will take over from Scott as the host of Radio 2's breakfast show.
The coach, who has worked with everyone from 'Premiership footballers to TV personalities', shared a screenshot of the BBC article confirming Sara's appointment and captioned it: 'I'm very proud today.' Michael claimed he started coaching Sara 15 years ago, when they were introduced by Davina McCall, and 'today she has landed the biggest job in radio'. Adding that the pair are 'still great friends', Michael suggested he was waiting for 'the call' from Sara asking to restart coaching or simply 'convincing someone who is brilliant that they really are'.
He also revealed what Sara said after 90 days of working together, with the BBC's new golden girl saying she expected Michael to be just another 'bearded guru' but was pleasantly surprised by the results. Sara then publicly thanked Michael by sharing his post on her Instagram Stories, writing 'my whole mindset and confidence changed when I met you'.
Michael's post drew mixed reactions from his Instagram followers; while some praised the 'lovely' message, others felt it was a blatant 'plug' for his coaching services. 'You could have just said "Congratulations, Sara",' one comment read, while another person wrote: 'Why plug yourself are you hanging on her coattails?'
Sara will take over the BBC's flagship breakfast programme after Scott, 53, was sacked from the BBC after 28 years, allegedly due to claims of a historical relationship. The Mirror linked the decision to fire Mills to a 2016 police investigation into 'serious sexual offences' against a teenage boy between 1997 and 2000. The case was dropped around seven years ago due to a lack of evidence.
According to his website, Michael is 'best known for his powerful keynote presentations', including 'How to Be Brilliant'. His 'elite' coaching clientele shares 'the desire to set brilliance as their benchmark' as Michael revealed he only works 'one-on-one' with a 'handful' of people every year. In an interview with The Sun, the personal development expert revealed the methods he used to help clients like Sara overcome self-doubt and reframe their mindset. This included tips such as thinking of confidence as 'something you do' or practice daily, rather than something that you're naturally born with. 'One easy method I teach is to think for a moment about how you stand, breathe and where you focus your mind when you feel really self-assured,' Michael told the newspaper. 'Then, rather than waiting, do those three things first.'
Some of his other mantras include celebrating the 'SWins' or small wins, 'kindness beats cleverness', and practicing feeling 'whelmed'. 'When you're “whelmed”, there's no stress or boredom - you can just be,' he said. In his post about Sara on April 23, Michael wrote: 'I started coaching Sara Cox after being introduced by Davina McCall in 2011, and today she landed the biggest job in radio. We're still great friends, and I know I might just get "the call" days before she starts her new job hosting the Radio 2 breakfast show, where I'll have the best coaching job in the world: Convincing someone brilliant that they really are.'
He also shared Sara's lengthy endorsement of his coaching programme, which read: 'Michael's advice and help has completely boosted my confidence and made me think differently about how I approach work, and I honestly can't thank him enough. Whether you're starting a new career or just want to inject some oomph into your current job, Michael can help. I was a bit cynical at first and was expecting some bearded guru, but was genuinely excited at the effect he had on my outlook; plus, he was clean-shaven and not wearing robes. Michael clearly loves his work and cares about people. He brings nothing but good stuff to the table. I hope he and his formidable and kind wife Christine will remain my friends for a long time to come.'
It comes after Sara received a moving message of support from Prince William last November, when the broadcaster ran 135 miles to raise a whopping £9.5 million for Children in Need. The Prince of Wales hailed the BBC Radio 2 DJ after she crossed the finish line for her Great Northern Marathon Challenge in an incredible feat of endurance. The heir to the throne encouraged Sara to 'keep going' in a video message, which was played by her now-predecessor Scott on the Radio 2 breakfast show. He said: 'Sara, massive congratulations for what you're doing. You're so nearly there, just a little bit further, and I know the people of Pudsey will all come out and welcome you with huge open arms, big hugs, and hopefully, lots of your favourite crumpets. Keep going, you've done fantastically well, and the nation's so proud of you.'
Scott and Sara have been friends and BBC colleagues for three decades, since they both started at Radio 1 within a year of one another in the late Nineties. Cox was a guest at Mills's 2024 wedding to Vaughn in Barcelona. Cox, 51, who currently hosts the station's weekday Teatime show from 4pm to 7pm, will launch her first show this summer. She said in a statement: 'There are not enough adjectives to really sum up how I'm feeling about being trusted with such an iconic show but let's start with ecstatic, honoured and incredibly chuffed.'
