There was a time when one of the BBC’s most familiar voices was barely holding it together behind the mic. Long before the headlines now surrounding Scott Mills, the Radio 2 DJ had already battled through a deeply troubled period — one marked by grief, heavy drinking and moments that nearly cost him his career. The turning point came after the sudden death of his boyfriend Mitch, who died from a drug overdose shortly after the Brit Awards — news that left Scott spiralling.

In a 2012 interview with Now Magazine, he admitted: “I felt everything was bleak. I had no friends. My flatmate Fraser was the only person I saw.” Scott added: “I was presenting the early show, so I’d wake up at 2.30am, do the show, come home and go back to sleep. “Then I’d wake up in the evening and drink two bottles of wine or a bottle of spirits in front of the TV. It was a way to escape.”

That spiral soon spilt into his work, with Scott revealing he even went on air while drunk.

He said: “One morning I went on air drunk. That could have been a massive f**k-up for me. Even I would’ve sacked me. But thank God for Radio 1 – they knew about Mitch and why I was having a bad time. It was a proper wake-up call.”

It wasn’t the only time alcohol blurred the lines between his personal life and career. Back in 2003, Scott turned up to his early morning show still drunk after partying at the Brit Awards — forcing his producer to intervene.

Looking back, he admitted: “I absolutely should not have gone on air.” He explained: “The producer was telling me to sit there, play another song and not say a word while she made me a coffee.

“But as soon as she left the room I was slurring away. I couldn’t even say artists’ names properly.”

Despite the seriousness of the incident, Scott managed to keep his job — something he admits still surprises him.

He said: “I was very lucky to walk away with my job, but it did teach me a lesson and I’ve not done anything like that since,” adding that the episode has since become “part of Radio 1 folklore”.

At his lowest point, support came from an unexpected source — Take That star, Robbie Williams.

Scott revealed: “It’s stayed under the radar because that’s how I wanted it, but Robbie was someone I could talk to about my drinking.”

Opening up about their bond, he added: “He’s knocked all of his problems on the head. I found talking to him very comforting. I see so much of myself in him – my insecurities, not knowing if you’re good enough, the depression and the alcohol.”

The singer’s social circle also helped pull him out of isolation, with Scott saying: “He holds these amazing quiz nights at his house with Gary Barlow, James Corden, Peter Jones from Dragons’ Den and Susie Amy.”

Career setbacks added to the pressure. After eight years on the coveted drivetime slot, Scott was replaced by Greg James — a move he admitted felt “like a punch in the stomach.”

Years later, Scott rebuilt his career — rising through the ranks to become one of the BBC’s biggest names. That past has now been thrust back into the spotlight following his shock BBC sacking over allegations linked to a “historic relationship” more than a decade ago.