Cox and Mills Friendship on the Line!

Microphone in hand and with an enormous smile on his face, Scott Mills waited at the finish line for his colleague and friend Sara Cox to complete her incredible charity marathon challenge.

His joy at her achievement was palpable and genuine and it was he who announced to Radio 2 listeners last November that Sara, 51, had raised £9.5 million for by running 135 miles in five days.

Both at the top of their game –Scott as host of Radio 2’s Breakfast Show and Sara presenting the drivetime slot – they had joined the Corporation in 1998 and 1999 respectively and became familiar voices on Britain’s most popular station.

Sara was one of Scott’s staunchest supporters when, earlier this year, the 53-year-old was sacked by the BBC over historic accusations that he had had an inappropriate relationship with a teenager when he was in his 20s.

His ousting – viewed as brutal and unfair by many – left one of the top jobs in radio vacant and bosses needed an experienced and popular replacement.

Sara was the obvious choice. But has their friendship withstood this ultimate ‘betrayal’?

Apparently not. After 30 years, their relationship appears to have broken down and battle lines are being drawn.

On Monday, as Sara made her debut on the Breakfast Show to much fanfare and largely positive reviews, there came a bitter snipe from Scott’s camp, leaving no one in any doubt as to his feelings about his friend stepping so eagerly into his shoes.

Scott’s husband Sam Vaughan posted a photo on Instagram showing that he was listening to rival station Heart FM at home while Sara was on the air. It was, say BBC insiders, a nasty barb which was clearly designed to overshadow Sara’s first big week.

‘Sam posting that picture on social media was just unnecessary,’ a BBC source told the Daily Mail. ‘Whether it was just meant to be a dig at the BBC and his former bosses doesn’t matter, it was Sara’s day.

‘Scott and Sam have now made it publicly clear their feelings on Sara taking over the show. They were aware of the media attention surrounding her first day. They knew what they were doing.’

While BBC insiders insist Sara has no animosity towards Scott – in fact, she stuck her head above the parapet to support him by ‘liking’ Sam’s recent post to celebrate his second wedding anniversary – she has made no attempt to dim her light in the wake of his fall from grace.

She has thrown herself full throttle into her new role which she had felt, for some time, should be hers and clearly had no intention of letting the sacking of one of her oldest friends stand in her way.

In a mischievous dig – clearly directed at station bosses rather than Scott – the first songs she played on Monday morning were Lizzo’s About Damn Time and Finally by CeCe Peniston.

It’s long been known in industry circles that Sara hoped to be given the Radio 2 Breakfast slot when Chris Evans stepped down in 2018. But she was magnanimous in the face of Zoe Ball’s appointment at the time. So few could blame her for grabbing the opportunity with both hands now.

A separate industry source said: ‘As far as Sara is concerned, there is certainly no beef from her side towards Scott. If there is an issue, it is on Scott’s side. She is genuinely ecstatic that she’s the new host of the Breakfast Show. Sara has wanted it for a long time and worked extremely hard for it – she deserves this.’

And when she finally started hosting the show, she did so with a bang: an A-list guest in the form of actor Tom Hanks, an interview with popstar Olivia Rodrigo, new games, old favourites and her customary wit and vigour.

While Scott has yet to take part in an interview following his sacking, he has made it clear he found the way it was handled unfair by gearing up to sue the Corporation for unfair dismissal.

It might seem then a big ask for him to cheer on the success of a show taken away from him.

A friend of Scott’s said the DJ has ‘no malice’ towards Sara and ‘his problem is with the BBC’. ‘Listening to Radio 2 or the BBC in general right now is still so raw for him,’ they said. ‘He is very grateful for the support his former colleagues have shown him but appreciates their hands are tied.’

However, insiders say his husband’s dig has caused waves among Sara’s team – with the host previously unaware of the extent of any bad feelings towards her.

‘Thankfully she hasn’t even given the post a second thought,’ said our source. ‘Though other colleagues have spoken about it and are of the view it was bitter.’

While she may have taken over his job, Sara is among a growing band of BBC employees, including Rylan Clark and Zoe Ball, who have made it clear that they stand by him.

Sara and Scott’s careers have been enmeshed for decades. Sara moved to Radio 2 in 2014, hosting Sounds Of The 80s and becoming a regular Breakfast Show stand-in, before being given Simon Mayo’s drivetime slot in 2019.

But the Breakfast Show is considered the golden slot. It is the UK’s most popular Breakfast show and under Scott’s stewardship drew a peak weekly audience of 6.5million.