Dermot O’Leary has addressed Scott Mills’ sacking from the BBC – revealing the news came as a ‘complete shock to the entire BBC Radio 2 family’.

The presenter, 52, fronted today’s episode of This Morning alongside Alison Hammond, where he broke his silence on the news.

On Monday (March 30) it was revealed that the Radio 2 star, 53, was fired by the BBC over his ‘personal conduct’.

It was later reported that day that the decision to sack Mills came after a 2016 police investigation into ‘serious sexual offences’ against a teenage boy.

Mills was taken off air last week while bosses looked at the claim before announcing his dismissal on Monday – just six days after he vanished from Radio 2.

Speaking on This Morning, Dermot said: ‘As part of the Radio 2 family – and it is a family, everyone gets together, it’s a lovely place to work, it’s very collegiate. This came as a complete shock to everybody, it came from nowhere.

This Morning’s Dermot O’Leary has broken his silence on Scott Mills’ sacking from Radio 2 and the BBC

On Monday (March 30) it was revealed that the Radio 2 star, 53, was fired by the BBC over his ‘personal conduct’

Dermot has been with Radio 2 since 2004 and began presenting the Sunday morning breakfast show in 2017.

Meanwhile, Mills was announced in 2024 to succeed Zoe Ball as host of Radio 2’s weekday breakfast show.

The star was sacked six days after being taken off air following his final Radio 2 breakfast show last Tuesday.

Last night, the Daily Mirror linked the decision to fire Mills to a 2016 police investigation into ‘serious sexual offences’ against a teenage boy between 1997 and 2000. 

The case was dropped around seven years ago due to a lack of evidence. 

Mills hosted last Tuesday’s show as normal, signing off at 9:30am by saying ‘Back tomorrow.’

But shortly afterwards, an all-round email from Lorna Clarke, director of music at the BBC, dropped the bombshell news of his dismissal.

Until that moment his team who had had no idea what was coming and had worked on the Monday breakfast show normally.

News of his dismissal was not briefed to his production team, thought to include long time collaborators Patrick Thomas and Ben Stones, before the Clarke email.

A BBC source told the Daily Mail today: ‘Mills’ own team only found out the same way that everyone else did so you can imagine the shock they experienced.’

The all-round email from Lorna Clarke, director of music at the BBC, dropped the bombshell news of the 53-year-old DJ’s dismissal.

The email said: ‘I wanted to personally let you know that Scott Mills has left the Breakfast Show, and the BBC. I know that this news will be sudden and unexpected and therefore must come as a shock.

‘Not least as so many of us have worked with Scott over a great many years, across a broad range of our programmes on Radio 1, Radio 5 Live, Radio 2 and TV. I felt it was important to share this news with you at the earliest opportunity.’

‘I felt it was important to share this news with you at the earliest opportunity.’

She said it would ‘come as a shock to our audience and loyal breakfast show listeners too’ as she promised to update everyone with ‘more information on plans for the show when I’m able to’.

She added: ‘While I appreciate many of you will have questions, I hope you can understand that I am not going to be saying anything further now.’

Gary Davies opened the Radio 2 Breakfast Show on Tuesday morning with no mention of his sacked colleague.

The Radio 2 Breakfast Show host was hauled off air last Tuesday, and his contract was then terminated after a ‘tense meeting’ with BBC bosses over his ‘personal conduct’.

Elsewhere, fellow Radio 2 star Jeremy Vine addressed Mills’ sacking during his own show for the station

Experienced DJ Davies, 68, has stepped in to host the show since Mills’ departure last week and is scheduled to host for at least the next week as the broadcaster scrambles to find a permanent replacement.

Jeremy Vine, who hosts a daily Radio 2 show dissecting the days headlines, shared his response to Mills’ dismissal.

‘Scott Mills’ sacking has left a lot of people very confused. What do you make of it? I’d love to know?’ Vine, who has worked alongside Mills at Radio 2 for four years, said at the top of the show.

‘We heard the news just before 12 yesterday here at Radio 2, it came as a complete shock to those of us who work at the station, the presenter of our Breakfast Show, Scott Mills, had been sacked over allegations, we’re told, related to his personal conduct.’

Later in the show, Jeremy noted: ‘It’s a very painful episode for anyone who knows Scott, he’s a very popular guy in the building.’