BBC Radio 2 host DJ Sara Cox grieving "cruel and unfair" loss of close friend Peta
DJ Sara Cox is grieving the "cruel and unfair" loss of a close friend just weeks after mammoth Children in Need fundraising effort.
DJ and Children in Need hero Sara Cox has been left grieving the "cruel and unfair" loss of a close friend. The star revealed the heartbreaking news just weeks after completing a 135-mile Great Northern Marathon, raising more than £11 million for the charity.
Posting on social media, the 50-year-old BBC Radio 2 host paid tribute to long-time friend Peta, alongside photographs of the pair through their lives. They are seen enjoying fancy dress parties and exotic holidays in the pictures, alongside a heartfelt tribute, which read: "Sleep tight Peta, You’ll always be in my heart x."
Previously, Sara had spoken of her closeness with Peta, including in a 2012 interview with the Standard, in which she spoke of how one of her favourite things to do was go for a meal with her mum, Jackie Cox, and Peta, in London.
The news comes as Sara returned to hosting duties on her tea-time Radio 2 show on Wednesday evening (December 3). Condolences poured in from fans after the post, with one saying they were "so sorry to hear this", and adding: "Life can be so cruel and unfair at times. Sending you love and thoughts."
Another wrote: "Sorry for your loss Sara. So hard when we lose a close friend", while a third said: "So sorry for your loss. Great memories to help you get through this difficult time."
The devastating news comes just weeks after Sara shared how the fundraising total for her epic Great Northern Marathon Challenge had reached a whopping £11,501,637, as Children In Need donations came in. She covered 135 miles on foot across Northumberland, County Durham, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire, the equivalent of five marathons in five days.
Revealing the total, she said: "You are legends. Every fiver, tenner, every 20, every 30. Whatever you gave a couple of quid on the side of the road. The kids that gave their money that they got from the tooth fairy. Every penny goes to helping children and young people in the UK and you are absolutely incredible.
"If it’s safe to do so, you are not operating heavy machinery, holding a small child or nursing a large whiskey, give yourselves a pat on the back. That is beautiful. Eleven and a half million pounds. We did it together, thank you."