Greg James has admitted that he changed his name when he started on Radio 1 because he didn’t think it was ‘cool’ enough, adding that his real surname sounds like a ‘teacher’s name’
Greg James has revealed his real name after 17 years, admitting he changed it for Radio 1 because he thought it sounded “like a teacher’s name”.
The BBC host, 38, has presented on Radio 1 since 2007, always going by his ‘cooler’ name of Greg James. He’s opened up to Kathy Burke prior to the release of his upcoming book, The Kid Who Fell Through Time, on which he’ll use his full name.
Speaking on comedian Kathy ‘s Where There’s A Will, There’s A Wake podcast, Greg said: “I’m writing a book. It’s my first non-fiction adult book. It’s gonna come out next year, and I was writing a chapter on my name. It’s turned into a bit of a secret, but it’s not a secret at all. In that Greg James is not my full name.”
He explained: “I was looking around at like Sara Cox, Scott Mills. So my full name, my surname is Milward. It’s like a teacher’s name. It’s like a headteacher’s name. Greg Milward. My dad was a headteacher and I was like, ‘well, it’s probably not that cool. I don’t really like it that much’. So I chose Greg James.”
But if he could go back, he confesses he would’ve chosen something else.
“My regret is that I should have thought it through,” Greg continued. “Because by the time Radio 1 had sort of spotted me; I’d won this award basically, and Radio 1 were in touch, and before I knew it, I was doing a tryout show for them, and Greg James appeared in the Radio Times, in the listings, and I was like, ‘it’s too late, I can’t change it now.
“And then it just went on and on and on, and I can’t change it back now, I can’t do anything about it. I don’t mind it. It’s an okay radio name, but, I should have been more imaginative.”
Reassuring him that the name has a ring to it, Kathy said: “No, no, because Greg James, like you say it’s got that bang bang.”
Greg was born in Lewisham, South London, to his dad Alan and mum Rosemary, who were both teachers. He went on to meet his now-wife, journalist Bella Mackie, who asked him to marry her in February 2018. Keeping their engagement as private as his real name, they kept it to themselves until June that year, when he told his fans on Instagram.
Announcing the news, Greg said: “Oh while we’re doing announcements, here’s something else…I’m having the time of my life and enjoying my work more than ever. I feel really content and it’s nice to have my shit together before I undertake a huge new work challenge. One of the main reasons for this happiness is because I met this person.
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“This is Bella and in February she asked me to marry her. I said yes immediately because she is the smartest, funniest and most beautiful person I’ve ever met. The only problem is she loves staying up into the early hours drinking as much as I do and this is not conducive with 5am alarms. That said, it’s been quite a year.”
They pair got married in September 2018, sharing four photos of their big day, Greg wrote: “Bella and I got married and it was the most incredible day of my life. I think it was up there for her too.
“She is the best thing ever and I feel like I might actually burst with happiness.”
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