6 Radio 2 moments that had us feeling emotional

13 March 2018

When you have as many interesting star guests through the door as the Radio 2 studios do, it's hard to know which emotion to prepare yourself for.

While laughs and good music are guaranteed, there's also a high chance that you might come into contact with your fair share of emotional moments. Here are just a few of the times we've found ourselves a bit choked up...

The journey from Blackpool to Brighton by bike was never going to be an easy one but we had no idea just how stirring it would be. Zoe Ball undertook the mighty challenge to raise money for Sport Relief in a bid to highlight how mental health projects around the U.K. benefit from its help.

Setting off from her birthplace on the 5th March and arriving at her hometown to rapturous applause on the 9th March, Zoe covered 350 miles, raised over £500,000 and had us feeling a bit weepy in the process.

Things took a teary turn (for us!) on Simon Mayo's show when James Rhodes confessed to feeling like a less-than-perfect parent.

James then shared with us some wise words he'd picked up from reading the work of theorist, D.W. Winnicott, about the importance of being 'good-enough' and reminding yourself that you are. Parent or not, the underlying message served as the sweet pick-me-up we didn't realise we needed.

Children In Need always makes for particularly emotional viewing and Peter Kay talking to Chris about the importance of the charity had the same effect.

Speaking about the disadvantaged children and young people who are helped by Children In Need, Peter emphasised the effect our fundraising has (and caused Chris to cry as he did so): "You can hear how much it means to them and how much joy and happiness it brings to them because they've got something they can do to escape from whatever pain they're going through."

Great British Bake Off winner, Nadiya Hussain, has been very open about her battle with panic disorder. Describing the struggles to John Bishop in 2017, Nadiya referred to her disorder as a "monster".

"Some days the monster shouts in my face. No matter where I turn, he will keep shouting at me. I can't get him out of my face. Other days, he's behind me and he'll tap me on the shoulder a little bit here and there through the day and I can ignore him completely. Other days I can put him in my pocket. He's always there."

It was this same monster that almost caused Nadiya to pull out of the baking competition in 2015 and she shared more details about those dark times with Amol Rajan on Simon Mayo's Drivetime.

We've come to expect utter eloquence when Russell Brand sits down in front of the mic and we certainly weren't disappointed when he had a chat with Steve Wright in late 2017.

Having recently become a father, Russell opened up about what the experience taught him and how it changed him: "When she was born, I felt something change in me, fundamentally, and it's never gone back. Something awoke in me and it's never gone away."

"Has there ever been a more powerful, better, magical performance from anyone, man or child, than from the little boy who plays Saroo [Brierley] in this movie?" Chris asked Nicole Kidman when she paid him a visit to discuss Lion back in 2017.

Sunny Pawar played the role of Saroo: a five-year-old who was accidentally separated from his biological mother and reunited with her 25 years later. Chris and Nicole both started crying as they recalled the true story behind the film and the onscreen moments that really hit home. You'll definitely need your tissues nearby for this one...

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