Clara Amfo says depression and burnout led to BBC Radio 1 exit

Clara Amfo has revealed that depression and burnout were behind her decision to leave her BBC Radio 1 show after eight years on air.

The 41-year-old presenter, who has fronted the station’s Live Lounge, The Official Chart and regularly covered Glastonbury for the BBC, told Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place podcast she reached “a really negative headspace” in 2023 and needed a “reset.”

“I was burnt out, I wasn’t taking care of myself properly and I think I was a bit overwhelmed by life’s injustices,” she said. “The start of 2023, I was in the flipping trenches. I was feeling really, really depressed mid-year and I took some time off radio. That’s when I decided I was going to leave my show.”

Amfo joined Radio 1 in 2015 after a stint on 1Xtra, where she had moved from Kiss FM. Over the years she became one of the station’s most recognisable voices, championing new artists through her “Hottest Record” feature.

She said she wanted to step away while she still loved the role: “I never want to resent anything or for it to feel like a chore. I want to be able to listen to music as a fan, not just as part of a business, and to talk to people on a human level without thinking, ‘Got to get that viral clip’.”

Clara Amfo’s exit in 2023 marked the end of a decade at the BBC (Ian West/PA Wire)

Her exit in 2023 marked the end of a decade at the BBC, where she was praised for her interviews and festival coverage.

It comes after Amfo revealed she had considered having liposuction following struggles with body image. Speaking to Women’s Health UK last year, she admitted: “I’ll be so real with you, I was debating having lipo. I had the consultation and everything. I got in my head about my body.”

Amfo said she ultimately decided against surgery after researching potential complications. Reflecting on working in an industry “obsessed” with appearance, she added: “If I existed in a different body – looser hair pattern, a few shades lighter – I wonder if my career would be different, and if I’d be treated better.”

Amfo began her career as a marketing intern at Kiss FM in 2007, progressing to drivetime presenter before joining the BBC.