Who is Sara Cox and what is her net worth? |
OVER the years, Sara Cox has enjoyed an incredible career as a broadcaster on both TV and radio and has won over an army of loyal fans.
The talented star is also known for her charity work, and for Children in Need 2025 is taking on her Great Northern Marathon Challenge.
Sara Cox’s Great Northern Marathon Challenge
Sara Cox is covering 135 miles on foot across four counties – Northumberland, Durham, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire – in her Great Northern Marathon Challenge for Children in Need.
The total distance is equal to doing five marathons in five days.
She’ll run, jog and walk through the beautiful and challenging landscape of northern England, carrying Pudsey on a symbolic journey from border to heartland.
Sara’s adventure journey kicked off at 8.20am on Monday, November 10, 2025, from Kielder Forest on the Scottish border.
From there she’s making her way through Northumberland National Park.
Sarah will follow the River North Tyne through the small villages of Bellingham, Wark and Humshaugh, before crossing Hadrian’s Wall.
She’ll finish the first leg of her journey in the market town of Hexham after completing 27 miles of the challenge.
Sara is aiming to finish in Pudsey in Leeds on the afternoon of Friday, November 14.
But that leaves her with over a hundred still to go.
Here’s a breakdown of the full five-day route:
Day 1: Kielder Forest to Hexham
- Starts in Kielder Forest, Northumberland National Park.
- Follows the River North Tyne through villages including Bellingham, Wark and Humshaugh.
- Crosses historic Hadrian’s Wall.
- Finishes in the market town of Hexham.
Day 2: Hexham to Durham
- Leaves Hexham heading southeast through Northumberland’s rolling hills.
- Passes through Corbridge and other small towns along the River Tyne.
- Ends the day in the cathedral city of Durham.
Day 3: Durham to Northallerton
- Heads south from Durham crossing through rural villages in County Durham.
- Enters North Yorkshire, traversing moorlands and farmland.
- Finishes the day in the market town of Northallerton, a gateway to the Yorkshire Dales.
Day 4: Northallerton to Harrogate
- Travels southwest into the heart of North Yorkshire.
- Heads through moors and picturesque villages, climbing hills and traversing some of the challenge’s toughest physical tests.
- Ends the day in the spa town of Harrogate.
Day 5: Harrogate to Pudsey, Leeds
- Leaves Harrogate, passing through smaller towns including Otley and Headingley.
- The route follows suburban and rural roads into West Yorkshire.
- Finishes in Pudsey, near Leeds – the home of Pudsey Bear.
When asked if she came up with the idea for the 135-mile Great Northern Marathon Challenge, Sara told BBC Breakfast: “Did I, heck!?
“It’s quite a long way to be travelling on my own two feet! People will hopefully support and come out and donate to Children In Need, that’s the most important thing – that’s what we’re focusing on, not the drizzle.”
And reflecting on the incredible achievements of BBC Radio 2 colleagues Paddy McGuinness and Vernon Kay in years past, Sara added: “It’s a terrifying privilege, it’s a terrifying, scary, very tiring privilege to do this… so I’ve trained hard and I’m ready for it.
“You have no choice but to say yes because it’s a chance to raise lots of money and change lives.”
Who is Sara Cox?
Sara Cox was born in Bolton on December 13, 1974.
After finishing her studies at Canon Slate School, Sara decided to pursue a career in modelling.
Following her appearance in the OMD music video for Everyday, she landed her first TV role in 1996 on The Girly Show.
Sara is most well-known for her radio career and joined BBC Radio 1 in the ‘nineties, where she hosted with Emma Boughton and launched the Sunday Surgery show with Dr Mark Hamilton.
After landing the job of Breakfast Show presenter in the early ‘noughties, she grew the audience to 7.8 million listeners.
Sara hosted her final radio show in 2003, leaving the job behind with her last track: “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life”.
Sara now hosts the plum afternoon drivetime spot on Radio 2 from 4pm on weekdays.
Who is Sara Cox’s husband Ben Cyzer?
Sara’s husband Ben Cyzer is an advertising executive.
They have been together for almost two decades, having met in 2006.
They share three children named Renee, Lola and Isaac.
In his last known career move, Ben became the managing partner and strategy director for MPC, a leading film and production company.
What TV shows has Sara Cox been on?
Sara balances her successful radio career with telly appearances.
She has hosted The Album Chart Show on Channel 4, as well as starring on Sky One’s Angela and Friends.
In 1998, Sara became a presenter of The Big Breakfast, which saw her interview celebs including Sting, Leonardo DiCaprio and Robbie Williams.
In 2018, she hosted the dating show Love in the Countryside on BBC Two.
She hosted Britain’s Top 100 Dogs Live: 2019 and featured on BBC Two’s Back in Time for School.
Her other noteworthy TV roles includeThe Great Pottery Throw Down, Back in Time for Tea, The Great British Sewing Bee and Too Much TV.
Sara has also hosted a weekend show on ITV called The Sara Cox Show, and in 2020 she presented BBC Two’s Between the Covers.
The popular presenter is also known for Britain’s Top Takeaways.
What is Sara Cox’s net worth?
Over the years, Sara has managed to rack up a fortune thanks to her impressive career as one of the UK’s leading broadcasters.
As of November 2025, The talented star has an estimated net worth of around £1M.
This has been made mainly from her annual BBC salary.
Sara earns between £285,000-£289,999 a year for her work on the Beeb.
This includes her Radio 2 afternoon show, plus the TV shows she fronts for the broadcaster.
When did Sara Cox appear on The Great Celebrity Bake Off 2024?
In 2024, it was revealed Sara was part of the Celebrity Bake Off line-up.
She was joined on Bake Off by fellow celebrities including Rhod Gilbert and Dermot O’Leary.
Experts Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith were back to judge their efforts and pick the overall winner each week.
Prue said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to share that we’re serving up another delightful season of The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer this spring on Channel 4.
“Brace yourself for a delectable lineup of bakers, each with their own unique flair in the kitchen – some are, admittedly, a bit more flour-savvy than others!”