Ken Bruce opens up about move & did ‘everything at the BBC’

Ken Bruce, 72, finally made his highly anticipated Greatest Hits Radio debut on Monday morning as he replaced Mark Goodier, 61, on the mid-morning show. Ken’s arrival on the station means Mark will now move to weekend mornings, leaving behind a show he presented for four years.

But the change has been welcomed by Mark and he told Express.co.uk that he is looking forward to a more relaxed workload after 43 years in the business.

He said: “I have done radio for like four decades and I’ve had great fun at Radio 1, Classic FM, Radio 2, Smooth, and then Greatest Hits.

“When they started Greatest Hits in 2019, they asked if I wanted to go and help start it.

“I said I would do a year, then I said I would do another two and then here we are at four.

“But a work-life balance, I really do need to do that, and you can’t put it off forever.

“So, I am extremely excited to hear Ken Bruce on Monday and I am really very happy about doing two shows a week rather than six. He is a radio legend.”

As for what he will do with his extra time off, Mark says he wants “a bit of time to work on my health”.

Mark suffered a stroke in 2016. He explained that he had a “really nasty” headache before suddenly collapsing on his bed.

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He could not speak or swallow, his face had fallen to one side and he could not raise his arm.

Thankfully, his wife Jacqueline and daughter Grace recognised the signs of a stroke, immediately called an ambulance and he was at the stroke unit “within about 45 minutes”.

While he says that he still has “some neurological problems” and tires very quickly, his quick diagnosis gave him a better chance of survival and recovery.

Mark has partnered with NHS England’s ‘Help Us, Help You’ Act F.A.S.T. campaign, which highlights that a stroke is a medical emergency and urges the public to call 999 immediately if they notice any single one of the signs of a stroke in themselves or others.

The signs of stroke are:

· Face – has their face fallen on one side? Can they smile?

· Arms – can they raise both their arms and keep them there?

· Speech – is their speech slurred?

· Time – time to call 999

As a part of the campaign, Mark and his wife were photographed by Getty’s Chris Jackson to reflect the significant life moments the stroke survivors have lived to celebrate since their stroke and spotlight the crucial role a stroke ‘saver’ can have in survival.

You can find more information here.

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