Radio and TV presenter ARIELLE FREE on landing her dream job at radio 1
RADIO 1’S NEW WEEKEND BREAKFAST SHOW HOST ARIELLE FREE TELLS OK!’S KATIE LANGFORD-FOSTER ABOUT LANDING HER DREAM JOB
Getting up at 4am every weekend is most people’s idea of hell. But for Arielle Free, it’s a dream come true! The DJ has just launched her brand new Radio 1 weekend early breakfast show, and after just a few minutes chatting to the star, it’s clear there’s no one better for the job.
‘I’m quite energetic, so if people need help waking up in the morning, I’m their girl,’ Arielle laughs, her zest for life and energy contagious.
As well as a thriving career as a
DJ, Arielle has interviewed the likes of Lewis Capaldi and The Vamps, and this summer saw her covering festivals including Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds. She also fronted the wildly popular
Love Island: The Morning After podcast with Kem Cetinay.
But the 33 year old’s journey to stardom hasn’t been without its hurdles. Her first ever pilot show, she admits, was ‘awful’. ‘I rambled on for two hours,’ she recently revealed. But, undeterred, seven years later the Scottish star’s hard work has clearly paid off!
Here, Arielle tells OK! why she can’t wait to be the nation’s alarm clock...
You’re now a fully fledged member of the Radio 1 family!
When I did Radio 1 in Ibiza with Greg James he said to me: ‘When are you going to get your own show?’ I had already found out but couldn’t tell him until the following week! Everyone has been so lovely.
Are you a morning person?
I’m an anything person! I can get up early when I need to and I can stay up late if I need to. I’m actually really excited to have a reason not to go out at the weekend any more. I’m hoping to make the show really interactive, whether you’re listening on the night shift or up early to run a marathon!
You recently revealed that it has taken you seven years to get to this point. Did you ever feel like giving up?
Definitely. The period around 2015 was really hard for me and a real learning curve. When I first went into a radio studio, it meant so much to me that I just became a babbling wreck. So there were tears when I found out about Radio 1; I just couldn’t breathe! But if my success had been handed to me on a plate, I wouldn’t work as hard and I wouldn’t be as grateful.
What has been your most awkward interview ever?
Former Love Island contestant Adam Collard, because I was so anti his behaviour! I went all Judge Rinder on him!
Will you present the Love Island podcast for the newly announced winter series?
We don’t know yet. I didn’t know I was doing the summer one this year until a month beforehand, but I hope so. Kem’s really sweet and he sent me a message about my show. He’s the little brother I never had.
In the past few years, festivals have come under fire for their lack of female headliners. Have you seen progress?
There has been a huge amount of improvement. You’ve got people like Annie Mac making her festival Lost & Found 50/50. But I am against putting women on a bill to tick a box. Put a woman or a man on the bill because they’re good! What does annoy me is that, as a female DJ, a guy has turned around to me and said: ‘Oh my God, it’s such a good time to be a female DJ because you guys are getting all the gigs!’ So there definitely is still room for improvement!
You had a minor role in Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire. Did you ever consider going into acting?
I did try after that but I hated it! I felt very self-conscious and, as an actor, the last thing you should be is self-conscious [laughs]. Although that was the best job in the world!
ARIELLE’S WEEKEND EARLY BREAKFAST SHOW IS ON FRIDAY AND SUNDAY FROM 4AM, AND SATURDAY FROM 5AM.