Chris Stark left fuming over wild Scott Mills and 'rude' Jennifer Aniston prank

Daily Mirror

4 days ago

EXCLUSIVE: Radio legend Chris Stark has opened up about the time his 'worst nightmare' came true during an interview with Hollywood icon Jennifer Aniston
Chris Stark was left close to tears after an awkward run-in with Jennifer Aniston. The former BBC Radio 1 l egend is no stranger to interviewing some of the biggest names in entertainment but he admitted his chat with Jennifer was his "worst nightmare".
The 38-year-old had previously sat down with Jennifer, 56, while she was plugging We're The Millers, during which they chatted about strip clubs, had a cheeky flirt, and Chris even told the Friends icon she was on most men's "list" of the five hottest women in the world.
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So when the chance came up to see her again in 2014 while she was promoting Horrible Bosses 2, Chris instantly leapt at the opportunity. But what he didn't know was that his former co-star, Scott Mills, had lined up a cheeky prank. Scott, 52, had secretly given instructions to Jen to be the "worst interviewee ever."
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But Jennifer was completely unaware that Chris had been on the booze the night before their chat. While things seemed to be going well, it soon took a drastic turn when Chris asked: "Your character Julie is so forward, I'm interested to know how you would make the first move, if you wanted to, with a guy?"
Jennifer, in on the joke, instantly became cold, responding: "First of all, I don't think that's an appropriate question, I'm also committed to somebody. I don't hit on people," as Chris was left flustered trying to cover his tracks. Recalling the moment, he exclusively told the Mirror: "It was one of the most embarrassing moments of my life.
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"I'd had this big night out the night before, and I turned up to interview Jennifer. I'd interviewed her before, and she was so lovely, and it had gotten massive (it racked up over three million views). I wasn't aware I was part of a prank at the time. Scott had sort of arranged with her to be difficult in the interview.
"I was sitting there, excited to see Jennifer Aniston again, it started so well, she was like 'Oh my Watford guy, how are you?' and then it turned into the most awkward interview." Chris went on to add: "Because I'd had this big night out, I was feeling extra sensitive and I wanted to cry and the ground to swallow me up.
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"Luckily, there was a moment when Scott walked in and I found out it was a prank. Those ten minutes or so, waiting for that moment, thinking I've just somehow upset Jennifer Aniston, was the most embarrassing, awkward moment I've ever been part of. Thank God it was a prank."
But Chris, who now fronts the Capital FM Breakfast Show, admits he's had "so many" embarrassing moments over his career, but he no longer beats himself up about them. "I think the lesson that you learn is, you don't need to be embarrassed, everything moves on," he said.
Chris recently teamed up with Dreams on their Bed Chemistry campaign, discussing looking after his own health and sleep due to having to wake up every weekday at 4am for work. "Sleep is not something that I'd really, I don't know, maybe put so much importance on," he explained.
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However, he admits that the campaign brought it to focus how important a good sleep routine was. During his conversations with members of the public, Chris discovered the term "bed chemistry" – how compatible a person is with the individual they share a bed with. "I've realised largely it's my fault that I'm not particularly sleep compatible with my wife," he laughed reflecting on his early wake-ups.
He added: "It started from the point of someone who doesn't get much sleep so linking up with Dreams seemed like a really obvious choice and a really funny thing to go and explore but it has ended up sort of leading into my real life." Chris admits his wake up call is a "tricky one" for his family when his body gets a "massive shock" when his alarm clock goes off.
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Speaking about getting up and ready for his day at work, he explained: "It's a very stressful part of my day but having a nice bed and everything, I've always appreciated getting some sleep – everyone appreciates it. But since linking up with Dreams, it's definitely something I'm trying to kind of improve in, in every area."
The broadcaster admits his new partnership has "opened up a few questions", admitting he often worried about his health due to not getting enough sleep. "There's another side to this as well," he said before expanding: "If you are going to have fewer hours and you can't help it, it's important your quality of sleep is good. That's something I'm trying to consider and give more focus to, and probably something at the very least I'm more aware of."
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Despite his early starts, Chris believes he's not "disciplined enough" to have a sensible evening routine as he doesn't want to "miss out on life." He said: "It's important to sound awake but it's also important to feel really kind of plugged into the world. I've had times where I've been doing this breakfast show, where it sort of feels like you might have lost yourself a little bit or rightly so, napping all afternoon or not present seeing mates.
"I do sort of worry about missing out on things, it's all about balance and I think at times, I think I've struggled with balance doing this show. But it's something I'm feeling in a better place with at the moment." But Chris admits he's "fallen in love" with the Capital Breakfast show and his new role on the programme.
This interview was conducted as part of Chris Stark's partnership with Dreams for their Bed Chemistry campaign, exploring how sleep compatible Brits really are with their partners.