Parenting was harder when my kids were little

As Radio 2 DJ Sara Cox launches her own wine range, she tells OK! she won't be sharing it with her teens and how turning 50 is a "privilege"

- SARAH MORTON

Her dulcet tones are a mainstay in millions of homes across the country. So it's little wonder when we catch up with Sara Cox, Radio 2's hugely popular drivetime host, it's like chatting to an old pal.

"I get that a lot," she laughs, as we settle down for a video chat. "People will stop me in the street, give me a little look, and as soon as I speak, they're like, 'Ahh, so it is you."" Indeed, Sara's distinctive northern accent she was born and raised in Bolton - has been a familiar sound across radio and TV for three decades now.

And as she prepares to turn 50 later this year, she shows no signs of slowing down. With the weekday drivetime show taking up a huge amount of time, she's also got a third novel in the works and she's launching a new wine collection.

Following the likes of Snoop Dogg and Gary Barlow, Sara's range has been curated specially by her and features a Champagne, a red, a white and a rosé, all from France.

Add to that her hectic home life with hubby Ben Cyzer and children Lola, 19, Isaac, 16, and 14-year-old Renee, and her (wine) glass is full to the brim.

"I feel ridiculous because it's not like I'm holding down two cleaning shifts and a pub job, but it all takes its toll," she says. "Most nights I can't wait to crawl into bed! But Ben's brilliant. He's a great support and works from home, which is a godsend. I'll send the kids off in the morning, chasing them with boiled eggs, peanut butter and apples, anything to get them to eat something, and then I get on with the day." Sara's face lights up when talking about her kids and the subject soon turns to her eldest, Lola, her daughter from her first marriage to DJ Jon Carter.

Last year Sara said she wasn't sad about Lola flying the nest to attend university, which she started last September, joking, "my parenting is done". And it seems Lola's absence hasn't changed things in that respect. "I'm thrilled for her," Sara says. "She's loving it.