Scott Mills: ‘I can't even put up an ironing board'

Times

9 hours ago

Home is a place where I can be silent. People think that if you are in radio, particularly music-based radio, that you'll want to hear music all the time. I actually don't want to hear anything. After getting up at 4am then speaking to guests for three hours of high-adrenaline interaction live on air, I'm tired. My husband, Sam, often comes home and says, 'Why are you just sat in silence without the TV or radio on?' I love it, but it's draining.
Where is home for you now?
I lived in various places in London, all the way up to Covid. After that I moved to Hertfordshire. We now live in a new-build house in a quiet little cul-de-sac in the Rickmansworth area.
What's the vibe?
We're both quite tidy, so it's very modern and pared-back. I don't like clutter. We're aiming for that Scandinavian minimalist vibe. Hygge is the goal, so there are candles galore. I like Diptyque's Baies scent. When people say, 'This is the best-smelling house I've ever been in,' it brings me absolute joy. I came back home recently after a week in Switzerland for Eurovision and it still smelt banging.
How different is your home today from the one you grew up in?
I grew up in a semi-detached house on a nondescript housing estate in Eastleigh, Hampshire. Lovely, but nothing to write home about. When my mum visits from Southampton she loves the busy feel of the house, but I sense she thinks it's too modern. She wants me to have a pine dresser. Everything in my mum's house was, is and always has been pine. My dad owned a removal company and virtually lived in his van. This was before mobile phones, so it must have been quite isolating and not great for his mental health. But it's actually the complete opposite for me. My work life is so full-on that the prospect of escaping for a few hours in a van where no one can contact me is quite appealing. I remember being about ten and him saying, 'Maybe you could take over the family business,' and me thinking, absolutely not, I'm going to pursue my dream of being on the radio.
What has owning your own home taught you about yourself?
I'm not flash or extravagant. I know people — who shall remain nameless — who have grand pianos, but that's not me. I'm happy being low-key, although I have graduated from buying the cheapest black ash furniture from Argos to stuff that actually lasts. I can now see the point of buying Le Creuset pans with handles that don't fall off after two days. All I have on my walls are family photos, photos of our wedding and photos of us with our cavapoo, Teddy.
'I now see the point of buying Le Creuset pans,' Mills says
ALAMY
Any art?
I don't understand art and I don't partake in it. I don't get it. A friend bought me some art for my birthday recently and it's in the garage. What can I say? I'm just basic.
Do you host many celebrity dinner parties?
No. I was much more sociable before the pandemic. I used to have massive Halloween parties at the Finsbury Park house I lived in before. One year Susanna Reid was there — not in fancy dress — Rob Rinder, Ollie Locke from Made in Chelsea came dressed as Superman, Emily Atack, Caroline Flack, then all the X Factor lot turned up with my friend Nick Grimshaw. I remember walking into the upstairs cinema room at about 2am and Rita Ora was doing karaoke to one of her own songs. The internet was buffering, so she'd be halfway through one of her big hits and Grimmy would be standing there shouting, 'What's the wi-fi password?' It was absolute chaos. It's more likely to be Alan and Sarah from next door now, or some of my BBC colleagues like Vernon Kay and Jeremy Vine might still make it to the table.
Does your suburban life include copious DIY projects?
God no. That's Sam's territory. I have no logic. I can't even put up an ironing board. And don't get me started on deckchairs.
Mills during his early days at Radio 1
GILL FLETT/BBC
How highbrow are you culturally?
My absolute chillout watch right now is Bargain-Loving Brits in the Sun. Check it out. I'm obsessed. There are books in the house, too, but they're Sam's as he's a bookworm. There are piles of them everywhere, which is actually disturbing my minimalist vibe. He tries to make me read but it's not going to happen. There's nothing there.
Are you the most famous person in the area?
Absolutely not. I was in the local dry cleaner recently and I spotted a bag of clothes with a very exciting label on: 'The Kemps, Martin and Shirlie'. After some Instagram investigation of their home renovations, I've worked out exactly how close to me they live. Without giving too much away, they have gates and a tennis court. If I was to accrue the riches of a 1980s pop star, who knows, maybe we could be even closer neighbours.