Greg James is currently embarking on an eight-day challenge to travel via tandem bicycle across the UK to raise money for Comic Relief. The Radio 1 DJ is taking on the trek amidst family heartache, with his dad recovering in hospital from a recent stroke.
Grey, 40, who is on the penultimate day of his cycle from Weymouth to Edinburgh and has so far raised more than £1million for charity, revealed earlier this month that he would still be going ahead with the ride, despite his father Alan being “very ill”. Speaking to BBC Breakfast, he credited his “amazing wife” for supporting him through the difficult time.
The star’s other half is a well-known name in her own right. He met much-loved writer Bella Mackie, 42, in 2017, five years after splitting with pop star Ellie Goulding.
Best-selling author
Bella is a journalist who has written for the likes of Vogue and Vice. However, the daughter of Alan Rusbridger, former editor-in-chief of The Guardian, is also the author of a number of best-selling books, including How To Kill Your Family and Jog On.
Around six months after meeting Greg, she proposed to him in February 2018. The star revealed they were engaged in June of the same year in a post on Instagram, in which she shared a photo of the couple embracing.
He wrote: “This is Bella and in February she asked me to marry her. I said yes immediately because she is the smartest, funniest and most beautiful person I’ve ever met. The only problem is she loves staying up into the early hours drinking as much as I do and this is not conducive with 5am alarms.”
They walked down the aisle just months later in September. Confirming their nuptials, Greg again posted on Instagram, writing: “Bella and I got married and it was the most incredible day of my life. I think it was up there for her too. She is the best thing ever and I feel like I might actually burst with happiness.”
Speaking to The Sunday Times in 2020, Bella said: “Greg makes me laugh more than anyone. He’s also the smartest and kindest person I’ve met. We do argue — we have zingers — and he’s got a really nasty streak when he’s tired and I get into a blind-rage fury. But it quickly blows over.”
Family heartache
Speaking on Radio 1 amidst his Comic Relief ride – which saw Prince William make a surprise appearance – Greg admitted how difficult he was finding the challenge while his dad recovered. He said: “Everyone being so wonderful about everything is overriding that sadness, and that’s brilliant, so that’s how I’m feeling.
© Getty Images“I’m feeling like, I actually want to just sit in a room, and cry for a bit, but because of how magnificent everyone’s being, and how brilliant the support has been and how amazing the donations have been, I’m not sitting in a room and crying. And I, I really miss my Dad, and I really miss my Mum, and I really wanted to be with them this week. But I wanted to be here even more.”
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