Brooke Vincent has admitted she’s ‘nervous’ but can’t wait to get stuck in as her first major job since leaving Coronation Street has been revealed. The actress is swapping the small screen for the radio waves as she joins the team at Hits Radio.
Brooke, who is famed for playing Sophie Webster in the ITV soap but hasn't been seen on screen since 2019 when the character left in the back of a taxi, has been announced as the new host for Hits Radio’s evening show, covering for Gemma Atkinson whilst she takes a break to have her baby.
The news follows speculation about who was to fill in for Gemma - due to give birth to her second child, a baby boy, with Strictly Come Dancing star fiance Gorka Marquez this summer. The 38-year-old enjoyed her last show last week.
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After finishing up her show, Gemma took to Instagram and in her usual tongue-in-cheek style. The mum-of-two-to-be shared a clip from The Hangover and wrote: "Final show done. Officially on maternity leave! And that’s how I’ve just left producer Matt and @miketoolan in the studio carpark," alongside a crying laughing emoji.
She then confirmed that her exit isn't permanent as she added: "I’ll be back on air with the gang in the new year, but until then, enjoy! And thanks for tuning in."
But now, all eyes will be on Brooke, who successfully landed the role after auditioning alongside a few other famous faces. The 30-year-old has co-hosted specials for the station before but from Monday, June 5, she’ll be on air every weekday, live from Manchester, presenting alongside Mike Toolan who she has worked with before on Key 103 back in 2016.
Speaking exclusively to the Manchester Evening News about her new gig, Brooke said she is “very nervous” as the reality sets in but she’s also “very excited”. She said: “I’ve obviously listened, I know Gem, I know Mike and yeah, I’ve listened for a while and now I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh,’ that’s going to be me.”
And Brooke wasn’t just given the call to join straight away as she had to go through an audition process first. “There were a few people… Obviously because it’s such a big show and because it’s such a length of time as well,” she told us.
Despite having had experience in radio before, Brooke does admit to feeling like a newbie and will be calling on Gemma for advice. “I literally said to Gemma, ‘What am I going to do? I’m really nervous. I’ll be texting her saying, ‘Gemma, can you tell me what I need to do now please?’ But it’s really exciting and the drive team are amazing and Hits Radio is on the up at the minute which is really nice. So it’s nice to join a big group of people that are just absolutely smashing it.”
Brooke’s signing comes after it was revealed that 1.5 million people have been tuning in to listen to Gemma and Mike from 4pm to 7pm every week. Asked whether it makes her nervous, the mum-of-two said: “A little bit. It was never a doubt in my mind. Most of the people I know listen to Hits Radio so there’s that but it also gives you a sense of how lucky I am to be here and be a part of it so that’s really nice for me.”
And Audenshaw-born Brooke, who is engaged to footballer Kean Bryan with whom she shares young sons Mexx and Monroe, had to keep tight-lipped about her new job. But there is one very important person she told.
“I’ve obviously told my partner and just my mum really to try and figure out some form of childcare and a routine for the family,” she told us. “I told my eldest [son]. He’s three, four in October. I told him, ‘Mummy’s got a new job you know,’ because he thinks I just sit at home and file my nails or something.
He says, ‘Mummy, the washers just finished’. He lets me know my household jobs but I said, ‘Mummy’s got a job you know,’ and he was like ‘Have you?’ and asked ‘what is it’. I said, ‘It’s on the radio,’ and he was like, ‘what now?’ and I was like, ‘no, after mummy’s birthday’ because he knows it’s my birthday coming up. So he’ll have to have a listen.”
But she already knows who her biggest critic is. “The more I’m getting myself into it the more daunting it’s becoming,” she said of preparing to broadcast to millions of people a week. “When I first did it I was not bothered but now, I’m a bit older and I’m like, ‘Oh my God! Am I still funny? Have I still got chat?’
“But we’ll see. I’m sure my grandad will be letting me know if something’s off-key. He always lets me know. He’ll be ringing me up and be like, ‘that link at half 4 was awful’,” she laughed.
And asked why people should still tune in to the drive-time show when she takes over with Mike, Brooke said: “I don’t know whether I have a reason for them to tune in but please don’t tune off,” with an added laugh. “Just because I’m very fun, I love to have a laugh and we’ll just laugh our way through the absolute crisis of the world right now.”
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