Mike and Chelsea celebrate 10 years on the Key 103 breakfast show
The double act marked the milestone by reliving some of their most memorable moments on air - as well as getting a blast from the past from celebrity guest Alesha Dixon.
The pair are now among the longest-serving breakfast show presenters in the country, Mike told the Manchester Evening News: “It’s an incredible milestone. When I first came to the show I was given a year’s contract, as was Chelsea, and you live or die by your figures. In a way it’s a huge compliment because if people like you they listen and you get to stay.”
Over the years the pair have interviewed everyone from Beyonce to Tom Cruise and have plenty of tales to tell about their famous guests. Manchester United fan Mike said: “We’ve had Sir Alex Ferguson on the show many times and two or three times I’ve even been invited round to his house for the day. “He’s given us lots of world exclusive interviews but sitting with him in his house enjoying his homemade cottage pie and watching The Chase was one of the more surreal moments.”
Meanwhile for Chelsea it’s her first - and last - encounter with Jude Law that stands out after she asked an unwelcome question about his Alfie co-star and ex-girlfriend Sienna Miller. “Normally their people will say ‘no personal questions’ but they didn’t, and he looked at me like I’d literally just gone to the toilet on his face,” she said. “When I left they said: ‘I hope you enjoyed interviewing him because you’re never interviewing him again.’”
It has not all been glitz and glamour though, and the highs have come with the lows. Both Chelsea and Mike have gone through divorces during their time on the show, with Chelsea bravely announcing hers (from fellow DJ Matt Spokes) live on air. “That was one of the most nerve-wracking experiences,” she said. “A marriage ending, no matter why, is sad. It’s basically saying: ‘I didn’t make it, I failed.’ “But if you’re going through it, you can pretty much guarantee a large chunk of the listeners can identify with it.”
Mike added: “That’s the key to a successful radio show, where listeners can make a connection with you. “We do kind of bare our souls.”
As for the future, the duo both hope they’ll be on the airwaves for many more years to come. Mike said: “I’d be really happy to do it for another 10 years. We do get grumpy with each other at six in the morning but it’s our dream job. “We just laugh our way through four hours every day. “We’re just really grateful to still be doing it after 10 years.”
Chelsea’s 10 most memorable moments
- Meeting Take That the first time and Gary Barlow reading my diary out on air about the night I saw them at GMEX in 1994.
- Virtually getting thrown out of a Jude Law interview in London because I asked about Sienna Miller.
- Winning a Sony Award and accepting the award on stage alone as Mike missed it - due to being in the toilet.
- Meeting Beyoncé, thank god we weren’t allowed photos - I would have felt so ugly.
- Announcing my divorce live on the radio.
- Presenting the show from Lapland in 2006 - in the search for Santa with worthy kids. Was a magical experience.
- Meeting Jon Bon Jovi who gave me all his Jo Malone products from his bathroom because I said I liked them.
- Standing on stage at any Key103 Live event - who gets to do that and have that feeling in front of a packed arena? Especially introducing One Direction - the sound was deafening.
- Rowetta from the Happy Monday’s getting me in a headlock live on stage and wrestling me to the ground.
- Revealing the amount we raised for Mission Christmas 2014 - it was so much and watching people’s reaction around me was so moving. You can hear my voice breaking up on the audio.