Jo Whiley has revealed her heartbreak after her husband accidentally ran over their beloved family cat in a tragic accident.
Speaking to Zoe Ball on their joint podcast Dig It, the BBC Radio 2 DJ broke down as she explained that their eldest pet, a 14-year-old Bengal cat named Simba, had died after the incident.
“We had a horrible thing happen yesterday,” Whiley said through tears. “I feel like I haven’t been honest about what’s going on in my life.”
Composing herself, Whiley explained: “We came back from holiday and I got a call from Steve in a complete panic. He had come home – it sounds ridiculous to say – but he had run our cat over. It’s really sad.”
Whiley said that the cat had been lying on the gravel driveway because it was a hot day, and that her husband, Steve Morton, had driven in slowly and gotten out of the car to move the cat out of the way.
“He thought she had gone, then drove in and she hadn’t. We just can’t work out what on earth happened,” Whiley said, adding that Steve is distraught.
She added that Steve and Simba had a strong bond, and that he would spend most evenings with the feline sat on his lap.
“He’s in a world of pain,” Whiley said. “We had to spend the whole day yesterday – luckily the kids weren’t at home when it happened – and a vet came over and put the [Simba] out of her misery. We just had to wait and work out the words to say and tell the kids.”
Ball said: “Oh my god, darling. That’s awful. Poor Steve.”
Announcing Simba’s death online, Whiley told her Instagram followers that the cat was “such an incredible beauty and we were lucky she allowed us to live in her house and occasionally hold her”.
Sharing a series of pictures of Simba asleep on different objects including a fridge, a suitcase and on top of a car, she wrote: “There really was nothing you couldn’t sleep in or on. We loved you very much.”
Whiley’s celebrity friends, including presenters Fearne Cotton and Dermot O’Leary, sent their condolences.
Cotton wrote: “Love you Jo Jo. Losing cats is heart breaking stuff. I’m sending you so much love.”
Dawn O’Porter wrote: “Oh Jo this totally broke my heart I’m so sorry,” while O’Leary shared a love heart emoji and kiss.
One fan wrote: “Gutted for you @jowhiley, that’s actually a truly traumatic thing for anyone to endure. They’re our soul mates, these wee creatures and losing them hurts so much.”
Another added: “Poor Steve, he’ll be so hard on himself but it was a really freak accident, doesn’t make the pain any more bearable.”
