BBC Radio 2 presenter Jo Whiley: I’m definitely an introvert – I really like to not talk to anyone

BBC Radio 2 presenter Jo Whiley swears by swimming to help balance her mental health, saying it “feels like a baptism sometimes”.

The presenter, whose radio career spans more than 30 years, says: “If i’m feeling not in the best mood, if I’m anxious about something or if I just want to feel happier, then I’ll head to my swimming pool and do 40 lengths.

“When I come out everything will have changed. My headspace will be completely different.”

Whiley, who turns 60 this July, says the sport helps as she gets older, too. “You’re supported in the water, it’s not too gruelling on your joints and it feels like an all over body workout.”

She does suffer from arthritis though – ” Over the last 10 years, it’s gotten worse, it just comes with age”, she says, “I feel quite achy a lot of the time, my joints are really achy, my shoulders, my fingers, my hands, and after I’ve done something [like swimming] I feel loose, i feel more flexible.”

Wild swimming – taking a dip in the sea, lakes and rivers, sometimes in very cold water – is also part of her routine. “It’s that rush you get after you’ve been in the water when you’ve been in freezing temperatures,” says Whiley, who first joined BBC Radio 1 in 1993 and currently hosts ‘Jo Whiley’ on BBC Radio 2 every weekday evening. “It’s really energising and life-affirming.”

It attracts a “really lovely community of like-minded souls” too, she adds. Although the temperatures can be intense.”I [would be] standing there screaming, ‘It’s really hurting!’ It’s two minutes of pain, your nerves and all the blood rushing awake. But it’s a great feeling.”

Whiley, a prominent figure in the BBC coverage of Glastonbury festival every year, has become “more aware” of her body and what it needs over the years, and is now focusing on strength and flexibility, with Pilates. “I really had to make myself do this because it’s not something I wanted to do.

“At the moment I’m just really focusing on trying to be stronger and more flexible.”

Cholesterol is something she’s is conscious of too, with age, as an ambassador for Benecol. Her music executive husband Steve Morton discovered he had high cholesterol last year. “He’s completely changed his diet. There’s a saying that heart attacks and heart disease is 30 years in the making. It’s about being aware of your diet when you’re young, to prevent something happening 30 years down the line.

“I’m not a natural cook at all by any means, but I’ve definitely stopped having ready meals!”

With a busy career and four – now adult – children (India, Jude, Cassius and Coco), Whiley says she needs alone time to recharge. “I really enjoy my own company. Because I talk for a living, I’m on the radio, I interview people, I’m talking a lot, I’m surrounded by music and noise.” Over the years she’s interviewed the likes of David Bowie, George Michael, Amy Winehouse and Madonna.

“So when I get the opportunity, I really like to not talk to anybody and have solitude and calm and serenity. I love it,” she says, “I’m definitely an introvert.”

“I’m not someone who can leap out of bed and be really jolly. I like to have a coffee under my belt before I begin a conversation. My husband still hasn’t got the message.”

Gardening gives Whiley that elusive mixture of solitude, nature and exercise. “It’s really lovely not to talk to anybody and just work out how you’re feeling. You can either work through problems, or forget about them [in the garden], and just be in the open air, listen to the birds and the bees and be at one with nature.

“I find it really helpful, very fulfilling. At the end of a day in the garden, you just you feel absolutely exhausted, so it’s quite cathartic, and also very calm.”

Fitness and mental health are linked for her and these days weight training is an essential part of her routine. “I see a trainer at David Lloyd called Adam. If I’ve got something coming up – like Glastonbury or an event – and I’ll say ‘Adam – arms! I need to work on my arms!

“Weight training is good. I used to do quite a lot of running but it’s quite wearing.

Exercise is also now understood to help manage menopause symptoms and Whiley says she’s relieved there’s such a big conversation about menopause now. “It’s normalised and women are able to have conversations. There’s lots of pioneers out there talking about menopause and I’ve learned a lot from those people, whether it’s Mariella Frostrup, Dr Naomi Potter or Davina McCall.

“There’s a lot of women out there helping each other with learning how to cope with it, and part of that is when your head’s in a bit of a mess, doing exercise helps that. Having a conversation with friends, sharing your experiences, that’s really important.

“HRT, for me, was really successful. Because I’m older I’ve kind of gone through it, which is great but will still constantly throw symptoms at you – that’s women’s health, forever” But, mentally, I’m in a good place.”

Jo Whiley is official Ambassador for Benecol Every Heart Deserves One Campaign. Benecol is a cholesterol-lowering food brand, containing plant stanol ester.