Burn-out turned me into a misery, says TV and radio star Jeremy Vine

A MID-LIFE crisis left popular broadcaster Jeremy Vine feeling burnt out and seeking the help of a string of professionals.

“I had a little bit of a difficult journey,” the 52-year-old presenter says of the crisis, which hit him in 2009 and lasted several years.

“Unless you remind yourself what it’s all for, you start asking what the point is.

“I was a complete misery at home and everywhere for a while. I wasn’t unpleasant, I just went quiet. I was in a state of some turmoil.

“What they say about people who are very ambitious in their teens and their 20s, as I was, is that you are burning so much fuel, you may reach a point where you’re doing it all but wondering why.”

When he sought advice, one psychologist suggested he might need time off work, to which Jeremy responded that it was her job to keep him working.

“As a result of that kind of idiocy, I wandered around for a long time as if wearing a gigantic blob of freshly-spun candyfloss on my head,” he says.

“Nothing gave me pleasure.”

Jeremy relays the crisis in his new book What I Learnt, What My Listeners Say And Why We Should Take Notice, an autobiographical montage of his life and career, with shocking and hilarious anecdotes of his Radio 2 listeners, political and personal encounters, and memorable moments of his time on Strictly Come Dancing.

He reveals that he spoke to seven different professionals, including counsellors and a Harley Street psychologist, about his feelings.

“Some of the key things we’ve learned is that you have to be in the moment,” he reveals.

“Your diary may be packed with stuff, but unless you’re enjoying where you are right now, you can’t enjoy any of it. It will all just be a burden.”

His wife, Rachel, and two daughters, Anna and Martha, were extremely supportive, he says.

“Rachel said: ‘Just enjoy going out and about and enjoy the sunshine. The kids are here and we all love you.’

“That’s all I really needed to hear.

“The crucial thing I learned was to meditate and be mindful,” adds Jeremy.

“When I’m at Radio 2 and am totally present in the show, listening to my listeners, I’ve learned to enjoy it for what it is.

“There’s only one moment and that moment is now. Gradually, I pulled clear and was joyful again.”

One of the turning points came when he went to see folk singer Maddy Prior, former lead vocalist of Steeleye Span.

“I just felt joy — I thought: ‘Oh my God, I’m back!’” he explains.

It’s not the only drama Jeremy’s had, both on air and off.

Last year, he was the victim of a road rage incident, in which a female motorist screamed abuse at him as he cycled down a narrow London road.

He videoed it on a helmet camera and then posted it online. It all ended in a court case and jail for the motorist, but Jeremy now says he regrets it.

“My friends say: ‘Oh, but you were a victim of crime,’ but I ended up feeling I wanted to apologise to her,” he reveals.

“On the day in court, she came in with a suitcase because she was expected to be sent to prison. I would have been happy with an apology.”

Earlier this year he hit the headlines again, this time when he was named the BBC’s fourth highest-paid on-air talent behind Chris Evans, Gary Lineker and Graham Norton, with earnings of between £700,000 and £750,000.

The subject inevitably arose on his radio show.

“Maybe our greatest caller was Harry Jones, an ex-miner from Neath, Glamorgan,” Jeremy says.

“He said we were all grossly overpaid and that he wanted answers. I hadn’t actually thought what the answer was.

“In a funny sort of way, that most difficult moment was the best moment in my show.”

While callers often vent their anger on air, Jeremy is not one to express either his opinion or his emotions.

“You can have values, but you can’t have views,” he reflects. “I can’t take political positions, so with some of the most contentious stuff of our time, I can’t have a view on it.”

He has, however, got into trouble for expressing himself.

“I’ve got a new social media policy not to criticise anyone,” he adds.

He still meditates, and continues to enjoy the moment.

“If all I’m doing is tapping my smartphone or going on Twitter, it’s not that good for the soul,” he adds.

What I Learnt, What My Listeners Say And Why We Should Take Notice by Jeremy Vine is published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson, priced £18.99.