Trevor Nelson opens up on ‘darkest moments’ as he makes BBC Radio 2 return

Trevor Nelson is back on the airwaves following an ’emotional’ summer, which involved surgery for a brain tumour.

The 62-year-old broadcaster announced in June that he would be ‘taking a break’ from work, citing ‘health issues’ without going into specifics.

Last month, Nelson addressed public speculation and revealed that he had a brain tumour, which had turned his world ‘upside down’.

Nelson was admittedly ‘shocked’ by the diagnosis, which came as he was ‘minding [his] own business’ and resulted in a ‘very serious’ operation.

Now he’s had the op, the presenter is making a staggered return to BBC Radio 2 and told listeners today that his summer was ‘hijacked’ by his illness.

Kicking off his first show this afternoon, Nelson said the love and support he has received in recent months has been ‘overwhelming’.

‘I’ve missed sitting in this seat; I’ve missed being in this studio – being on the eighth floor of BBC Broadcasting House, being on the best radio station in the world – and missed you most of all. Boy, have I missed you guys!’, he said into the mic.

‘I think this tune is appropriate,’ he added before playing Welcome Back by John Sebastian followed by Stevie Wonder’s Uptight (Everything’s Alright).

He later said he was ‘so happy’ to have returned to the studio alongside his colleagues, calling them ‘like a family’.

‘I feel like I’ve been hijacked this summer. Someone’s paid the ransom at last and freed me,’ he quipped.

Opening up further, he told fans: ‘It’s been an emotional and very difficult summer for me. But I’ve got through with a lot of help from close friends and family, my management, my wife Pri has been amazing, and everybody close to me.

‘It feels weird saying that people who I don’t know have helped me massively. All the listeners, all the love has been overwhelming and insane.

‘In my darkest moments, it really did help me through.’

Declaring that he ‘feels so good’, he added that it’s ‘great’ to know that people ‘want you back doing what they want you to do’.

This weekend, Radio 2 in the Park will take place in Stirling, Scotland, which he said he’s ‘gutted’ to have to miss out on.

Following his month of ‘recuperating, resting, and recovering’, Nelson, whose decades-long career has included stints at Kiss FM, Radio 1, and MTV, will be on air for two days this week, Monday and Wednesday.

He usually presents the weekday 2-4pm slot on Radio 2 and from 11am-1pm on BBC Radio 1Xtra each Sunday.

Gradually increasing his workload, he’ll be getting behind the mic for three days next week, four the week after, and returning full-time on Monday, September 28.

On Instagram, the Radio 2 page shared a video of him where he belongs, in the studio, putting on his headphones and looking down the camera with a smile, saying: ‘I’m back!’

Taking to the comments, followers were thrilled, with @little_nell_jewellery writing: ‘We missed you Trev!’

‘Take it easy Trev.❤️’, added @sue7116, while @aliwellywoo told him: ‘Welcome back Trevor, you’ve been missed’.