Jamie Theakston reveals he told Beyoncé to 'leave him alone' after she tried to set him up with Destiny's Child bandmate Kelly Rowland backstage at Top Of The Pops

Daily Mail​

3 days ago

Jamie Theakston has revealed Beyoncé once tried to set him up with her Destiny's Child bandmate and close friend Kelly Rowland backstage at Top Of The Pops.
The British broadcaster, 54, who presented the BBC music show between 1997 and 2003, recalled telling the songstress to 'leave him alone' amid her matchmaking.
On Monday, Jamie left co-hosts Amanda Holden and Ashley Roberts ' their 'jaws on the floor' as he reflected on 'how different his life could have been' if he and Kelly had paired up, during his Heart Breakfast Show.
While Amanda was blown away by the 'name drop' Ashley was convinced he must be 'joking' before begging for more details.
Jamie told said: 'Destiny's Child were on Top of The Pops and I was chatting to Beyoncé and she said 'are you single?'''.
'I can't remember how it came about and she said, 'oh, Kelly's single, you two would make a fantastic…' and I went 'oh stop it!' And I was like 'stop it Beyoncé, leave me alone"'.
The British broadcaster recalled telling the songstress to 'leave him alone' as she tried her best at matchmaking (L-R) Michelle Williams, Kelly, Beyoncé on Top Of The Pops in 2002)
Despite the Beyoncé best efforts Jamie married Sophie Siegle in 2007 and together the couple share sons Sidney, 17, and Kit, 16. Meanwhile Kelly, 44, wed talent manager Tim Wetherspoon in 2014 and they are also parents to two sons Titan, ten, and four-year-old Noah.
MailOnline have contacted Beyoncé's reps for comment.
It comes after Jamie revealed he initially kept his possible cancer diagnosis a secret from beloved wife Sophie for weeks as they enjoyed a family holiday to Japan.
The TV host, who is now cancer free, said he was so blindsided by the news he worked hard to 'suppress it' in order to enjoy the trip with their sons.
Jamie announced he had been diagnosed with stage one laryngeal cancer in October 2024 after listeners had noticed there was something not right with his voice. It's cancer is a type of cancer that affects the larynx (voice box).
Speaking on the latest episode of Davina McCall 's Begin Again podcast, Jamie explained that he had to undergo emergency scans just hours before boarding a plane for their long-awaited family trip.
'I didn't tell anyone. At that stage, I thought, well, it might not be cancer. So there's no point really in saying anything,' he said. 'I just tried to suppress it. All I could think was, it's probably not.'
It wasn't until the biopsy results came back that the cancer diagnosis was confirmed. 'I then had to go home and tell my wife,' he said. 'She was distraught.'
'I went on holiday with this in the back of my mind, We had a fantastic time - but obviously, this was there in the background.'
Breaking the news to his sons, he said, was the hardest part: 'I had to explain to them that I was going to be fine, but they were too young to understand. When you say you've got cancer to a 14-year-old, they think you're going to die'.
'My youngest son had been with me when I was told my mum had died of cancer, so he knew what it meant.'
Jamie lost his mum in late 2022. 'I was so pleased that she had died before I got cancer,' he said. 'I would've hated for her to know. I'm not sure what that would've done to her.
During the chat he recalled how listeners noticed his voice had changed: People mentioned my voice wasn't sounding right,' he said. 'And I knew it wasn't right myself, but you just think - sore throat, nothing serious.'
But a visit to a throat specialist changed everything. 'He looked at my throat and said, 'Oh yeah, that's probably cancer' I said 'What do you mean?' And he said 'Nine times out of ten, it is cancer and we need to get you scanned now.''
After his initial surgery, doctors feared some cancerous cells may have been left behind, prompting a second, and eventually a third operation. 'We were getting dangerously close to removing so much of the vocal cord that I wouldn't be able to talk again,' he reflected.
But the third surgery was successful, and in January this year, Jamie triumphantly returned to Heart Breakfast alongside co-host Amanda Holden - whom he credits with getting him through it. 'Amanda was incredible,' he said. 'She checked in on me nonstop. She kept the show going. She's a force of nature.'
The TV host, who is now cancer free, said he was so blindsided by the news he worked hard to 'suppress it' in order to enjoy the trip with their sons (pictured 2018)
Now cancer-free, Jamie says his recent health ordeal has dramatically transformed his outlook on life. 'It's been a real gift. Often when bad things happen to us, there are good things to take from it. And I really do feel that I am a better person because of what I've been through.
'I hope it'll make me a better parent. Maybe it might make me a better broadcaster. It certainly feels like it made me a better person.'
Indeed, he's not wasting time. 'Before cancer, I was very analogue - I had a Filofax. Now I'm digital. My calendar is packed for weeks ahead. I'll say to people, "Let's book a golf weekend in 2027." I just want to plan everything, because I can.'
Though he says he never truly believed he would die, the gravity of what might have been has left a lasting impression. 'I look back and think about when you tell your children you've got cancer, and what that might mean, to then telling them you don't have cancer anymore, and what that might mean, and all of a sudden, you see your future ahead of you.'