EXCLUSIVE: Charlie Hedges might be the face of BBC Radio, but the DJ has now revealed that those closest to her have warned her to ‘chill’ as she agrees to even more work
She might be busier than ever, but BBC Radio 1’s Charlie Hedges has been told to slow down by those closest to her. Earlier this year, the network announced a major overhaul, which saw a string of broadcasters depart their roles.
As part of the shake-up, Charlie, 40, became the face of the legendary Live Lounge, alongside Jeremiah Asiamah. The duo host the Live Lounge from 10.30am to 1pm, Monday to Thursday.
But while she’s extremely busy, Charlie wouldn’t have it any other way. “Life is good, life is busy, but if I’m not busy, I’m not content,” she told the Mirror. Charlie, from London, went on to add: “So many people tell me, ‘Breathe and chill’, but I can’t. If I’m not busy, it’s just, yeah.
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“I’ve always been a grafter. I’m the busiest I’ve ever been, but I’m so grateful for it. The new Live Lounge feels really exciting, and I still do my dance show on a Saturday, as well as filming a documentary at the minute.”
Charlie, who is gearing up to host Girlguiding’s Big Gig, is also currently working on a documentary surrounding shyness, something that she doesn’t believe she’s overcome – despite her public-facing job. “I think I’ve sort of learned to mask it,” she commented. Charlie went on to add: “When I was at school, and growing up, like I just said, I would be the kid at the back of the class, that’d sit there with my fingers crossed, going – ‘Please don’t answer any questions!’
“I would go red without even anyone talking to me. When I started college, I tried to tell myself, ‘People don’t know that I’m a shy kid’. Not that I think there’s anything wrong with that, but when you’re 16/17 growing up, it was awful. So, I started college and then I started to almost train myself to not go red.”
But nowadays, Charlie says she still finds herself in certain situations where she’s “that shy kid”. Speaking of overcoming her worries, she said: “I just think the redness is less and less, which means it’s only internal. I’m trying to channel that energy and switch it to a positive.
“I don’t think shyness is talked about that often. Over the years, which I found interesting, is that some pop stars that have a big stage presence, they could be quite shy.”
But outside of work, Charlie’s life is flourishing, with her daughter, Summer-Rose, who she gave birth to in 2022, has just started school. “It’s been a big change for me and her,” Charlie commented, adding: “The documentary that I’m filming is all about the fact that I used to be, well, I say, used to be – I still am in certain circumstances – super, super shy.”
But while Charlie says she was a shy child, and at times, still is, her daughter is “really confident”. She explained: “I had the worst case of shyness; red cheeks going all the time. My mum and dad took me to stables when I was five and got me horse riding, Summer is really confident – much more confident than I was at her age.
“I was a stables girl growing up and as part of my documentary I went horse-riding or the first time in a long time with one of my friends, and I took my daughter recently as well. She’s a big animal person.”
Working in the broadcasting and music industries, Charlie is not burying her head in the sand about the rise of AI and concerns that it could replace people in the workplace. She says that while she can imagine a world with AI DJs, it won’t fully replace DJs or musicians.
“I can see a part of the industry being like that, but nothing is ever gonna be like going to see a live band,” she comments. Charlie went on to say: “Even radio, I think, is still one of the most powerful mediums ever. Like anything new, there’s alarm bells ringing, but there’s probably a place for both. You’re never going to be able to replace a live gig with the same feelings.”
And as a woman and working mum, Charlie admits feeling powerful in being a female in a male-dominated DJ world. “I’ve been very lucky in that I’ve had a strong, close family unit from when I was a kid, so they’ve always got me to focus on what’s the end goal?” she said, before adding: “My goal was to – believe it or not, even though I was that shy show kid – be on radio and DJ.”
But being a female in a dominated industry does come with setbacks. Charlie explained that a few years ago, somebody wasn’t “very pleasant” towards her. However, that switched at the end of her set. “He came over and apologised,” she revealed, adding: “He said sorry for not being very nice, and for making a joke about the fact that it was me playing.”
While acknowledging that such behaviour isn’t acceptable, Charlie channels the energy into making herself “stronger”. She said: “I’ve always tried to be a good person, be positive, and work hard. I’ve not had any backup options. I’ve gone for what I’ve really wanted and pushed for it. I think there’s something really fascinating about trying to work in an industry where you are unique anyway – and you’re always gonna bring something different to the next person.”
Despite her passion for DJ’ing, Charlie honed her craft during work experience at Kiss FM. “I had some downtime; I would go and use the studios and learn to DJ,” she said. Inspiring the next generation, she said: “It’s so amazing now. The amount of people that DM me and say, ‘I really want to get into DJing, what should I do?’
“You can go on YouTube and watch videos of people teaching how to DJ for free or there’s so many great apps now that you can teach yourself the basics.” And with the rise of technology, Charlie celebrated the fact that people no longer have to spend thousands on expensive DJ kids. “If you’re into music and you want to be a DJ, everyone deserves the opportunity to give it a go,” she said.
Although some would comment that Charlie’s DJ sets are iconic, her most memorable and “iconic” concert was her first. She said: “My mum and dad were the best. They used to take me to loads of festivals, loads of concerts. My first-ever concert I went to was Kylie Minogue.
“Iconic, or what! I was young, so I don’t remember much of it, but what a career Kylie’s had. I remember going to a Radio One roadshow and am sure I saw the Spice Girls at one. I was lucky. There was always music on in my house, actually, very little TV. And we’d go to local gigs, whatever was on.”
Outside of her work, Charlie is a keen runner – but you won’t catch her participating in any competitive running. Instead, she prefers a more relaxed run to clear her mind. She’s also taken up pilates and isn’t afraid to do her exercises in public. She explained: “I’ve really gotten into Pilates and being in the open air. If I’ve had a full-on week, then I’ll go for a walk, sometimes in the middle of nowhere.”
While her line of work will no doubt see Charlie inspiring young women wanting to crack the entertainment industry, she says she documents “everything”. She said: “I’ve always had a diary from when I was younger, right up until now – every year my dad buys me a diary as a Christmas present. I’ve always been someone to write down my thoughts, but also, I’ve used it as a space to write down the things that I want to achieve.
“My mum and dad have still got all my old diaries from when I was probably in between the age of 10 and 18 and we had a look through them recently.” Looking back on those diaries, she says it was “interesting” to see her thoughts due to hormones, with days she was “down, up and all over the place”.
Charlie added: “I think it really helps to write things down and to set goals – the whole, vision boardy stuff. I honestly hand-on-heart believe these things work. If you’re looking at those things every day, you will get there.” And it seems that her plans worked in her favour.
“People won’t believe this, but I wrote down and emailed myself years ago about wanting to host the Live Lounge,” Charlie revealed. She went on to say: “I used to listen to Fearne Cotton on the Live Lounge and I think she’s unbelievable. I loved her on that show. It has happened, and I still can’t believe it.
“When I wake up in the morning, sometimes I cannot believe what is going on. Write down how you’re feeling, goals and what’s in your head, what you think is unachievable – there’s never a silly thing to write down.”
Official data show that Girlguiding members are 30 per cent more confident than girls who are not in guiding. Reflecting on what advice she would give to young girls to boost their confidence, she said: “I think it comes down to actually having conversations. I’ve got a really caring family and growing up we talked a lot. I think it’s important to have open conversations, even with my little girl, who is only four.
“She came home last week from school and said, ‘I felt really shy’. I thought it was such a brave thing for a four-year-old to recognise what was going on and be able to chat about it. It’s about having those conversations as early as possible.
“You don’t want to scare kids – there’s certain things she doesn’t need to know right now, but if she’s coming to me with questions, then I will answer them honestly.”
Girlguiding’s Big Gig will take place on October 10 at OVO Arena Wembley.
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