Diabetes diagnosis

TYPE 1 diabetes is two different conditions defined by diagnosis age, research suggests.

Children under seven with the illness have a different form of it compared to those aged 13 or above.

Exeter University found children diagnosed under seven don’t process insulin properly and the cells that make it are destroyed.

Those aged 13 or over often continue to produce normal insulin.

RADIO DJ Jo Whiley has revealed how she was staggered by the online abuse over her Radio 2 drivetime show – and that the fallout still hurts.

Whiley, whose three triathlons in three days earned more than £500,000 for Sport Relief, says the experience still leaves her bewildered at how people could be so cruel.

The Radio 2 Drivetime show with Simon Mayo and Jo Whiley

BY JAMES DESBOROUGH reporters@dailyrecord.co.uk ended after just a few months on air, in October 2018.

Mayo had fronted Drivetime for eight years but the station added Whiley as a co-host – a move that led to a huge backlash from the audience.

Whiley said of the hatred from fans: “It was such a shock, such a shock. I had never experienced anything like that before. I came from such a kind, nice and loving family. Everyone I had ever worked with and everything I had ever done was in a warm environment.

“So to suddenly be exposed and have people be very personally offensive to you, was like, ‘Oh my gosh, people really do this? Did their parents bring them up to think this is OK to be that vicious about someone?’

“I tried to ignore it initially and then it just got ridiculous – so any song that we played on the radio or anything I said, these people trolling would interpret it in some way to make it very offensive to me or think I was making a point.”

Whiley also reflected on how tough it was to answer back to her critics and trolls: “When you are in the eye of the storm you just feel like you are going slightly mad.”

She added: “It was a really unpleasant experience and really horrible for my mum and dad, my husband and my kids” The turmoil and drama deeply impacted on her mindset. She said: “It just made you not want to go out anymore or look people in the eye for a little while. And I really hope that things have changed now.

“I think there is a lot more awareness and everyone has talked about how it is not OK to be unkind to people.

“And I think that hopefully they are going away a bit.”