Vernon Kay 'wells up' on BBC Radio 2 as he shares 'guilty' family admission

Vernon Kay was visibly moved during his BBC Radio 2 show as he opened up about his family life. The 50 year old host had been discussing with listeners their ideal dinner party guests, with names like Joanna Lumley and John Lennon being thrown into the mix.

However, it was Scottish caller Melanie's response that resonated deeply with Vernon.

Melanie shared that instead of a celebrity, she would choose to have one more lunch with her late mother. She expressed: "I know that you’re asking people to send in famous people that they would probably like to have a meal with, either alive or dead, but I just want to put a vote in for having one last meal with my mum.

"She is no longer with us and she was the funniest, most ridiculous woman and she is such a massive miss. I would love to sit down at her favourite seafood restaurant and do a bit of people watching with her and tell her how much we all love her."

Touched by the sentiment, Vernon responded emotionally: "Is that you or is that me welling up Janine. That was lovely."

He continued, reflecting on his own experiences: "That was lovely and, Mel, good point well raised. It just goes to show you, and I’m guilty of this as well at times, that we don’t spend enough time with our parents, do you know what I mean?"

Admitting his own shortcomings, Vernon added: "I’m terrible, Gladys is always telling me off, I’ll be honest with you, for not ringing. When life just gets hold of you, you jump on that rollercoaster and it just carries you away and you’re kind of doing all sorts of things, you’ve got to do this, got to do that, and all it needs is two minutes.

"Two minutes is all it needs, ‘hiya, you alright? Yeah very good’. And I am the first person to admit that I am guilty of that."

Dad-of-two Vernon reminded listeners to check in on loved ones, promising he'd call his mum Gladys after his show. He reflected: "Why don’t you just pick up the phone, if they’re still with us, and say hello."

Vernon shared memories of his time at Radio One from 2004 to 2012, and recalled his return to BBC airwaves in 2021, filling in for Rylan Clark on Saturdays. After Ken Bruce’s departure, Vernon stepped into the weekday mid-morning slot at 9.30am in 2023.