BBC Radio 1 DJ Charlie Hedges has opened up about her lifelong struggle with shyness, revealing that she can perform in front of thousands of people but finds everyday situations, including collecting her daughter from school, overwhelming.
In a personal two-part documentary for CBeebies Parenting, Charlie explores how shyness has affected her since childhood, the contrast between her confident on-air personality and her life away from the microphone, and her determination not to pass her anxieties on to her four-year-old daughter, Summer Rose.
The documentary, part of the BBC’s new Parenting Unscripted series, also sees Charlie revisit emotional childhood memories, speak to Diversity star Jordan Banjo about confidence and prepare for a special CBeebies Bedtime Story alongside her daughter.
‘I’ll literally hide in the car’
Despite broadcasting to millions of Radio 1 listeners and DJing at festivals around the world, Charlie admits that meeting other parents can leave her feeling physically sick.
“When I’m on the way to pick my little girl up from school, I’ll literally pull into the school and almost hide in the car. It is very, very overwhelming. Like, I feel sick beforehand.”
She explains that while performing on stage feels natural, smaller social interactions can be much harder.
“Sometimes I’ll walk into social situations and I will forget my own name. It’s quite embarrassing.”
Charlie says she has struggled with shyness since childhood and often worries about blushing in front of other people. She also feels there is an expectation that someone working in broadcasting should naturally be confident in every situation.
To confront those feelings, she attends a children’s stay-and-play session with Summer Rose, something she has previously avoided.
Before entering, Charlie admits her heart is racing and that she desperately does not want to go inside.
Once there, she struggles to make conversation with other parents, apologising when she forgets to ask one mother’s name.
Meanwhile, Summer Rose has already made friends.
“She’s made friends already. I don’t even have my child as a backup,” Charlie jokes.
Although relieved when the session ends, she recognises it as an important step towards understanding her anxiety.
‘It’s hard to look back, ’cause I do see a sad kid’
Some of the documentary’s most emotional moments come when Charlie speaks to her family about growing up.
Her father and brother remember her as an extremely shy child, particularly at school, while her mother, who shares some of Charlie’s shyness, initially prefers to remain behind the camera.
Charlie recalls constantly worrying about what other people might say to her and how she would respond.
“Every day was just a worry and like, oh, what about if this person speaks to me? And what about if… So I feel like I never really fully enjoyed anything to the fullest.”
Looking back at those years brings Charlie close to tears.
“It’s sad. It is sad. And that’s why I don’t like looking back.”
As her father becomes emotional, she tells him: “Don’t you start me off, Dad.”
She adds: “It’s hard to look back, ’cause I do see a sad kid.”
Her brother recalls Charlie keeping her head down on the school bus, while Charlie describes those journeys as some of the most difficult times of her childhood.
The conversation also prompts her to consider whether shyness may run in the family, particularly as her mother experiences similar feelings.
Determined to give Summer Rose a different experience
Becoming a mother has made Charlie reflect on her childhood in a new way.
She describes Summer Rose as a naturally happy and confident little girl, qualities she wishes she had possessed at the same age.
“When I look at Summer Rose, she’s such a happy little child. And it’s like looking back at who I wanted to be.”
Becoming emotional, she tells her daughter: “I wish I was like you.”
Charlie explains that one of her greatest concerns is passing her own insecurities on to Summer Rose.
“I wouldn’t want her being as shy as me. I don’t want her to have the same experiences as me.”
However, she also recognises the importance of allowing her daughter to develop her own personality rather than pushing her to be outgoing.
Charlie meets psychologist Laverne, who helps her understand how overthinking and the body’s stress response can contribute to feeling overwhelmed.
She learns breathing techniques to help manage anxious moments and begins to recognise that confidence can develop through experience.
Jordan Banjo reveals similar confidence struggles
In the second episode, Charlie meets Diversity star and broadcaster Jordan Banjo, who reveals that he also finds some everyday situations uncomfortable despite his successful performing career.
Jordan explains that people often assume entertainers are naturally confident because of their public personas.
“Everyone just thinks that’s how you are 24/7. But like, nah, confidence-wise, I think I struggle with a lot of stuff that I do, if I’m honest.”
He admits that while he feels comfortable presenting on radio or television, something as ordinary as going shopping can leave him nervous and sweating.
The pair also discuss how becoming parents has changed their attitudes towards confidence, with both wanting to avoid passing their anxieties on to their children.
Charlie later revisits the riding stables where her parents encouraged her to take up horse riding at the age of five.
Although she struggled socially at school, she remembers finding confidence through horses and friendships at the stables.
“It was honestly the best thing I ever did and I do think it was the start of me learning to kind of mask shyness really.”
Returning years later provides an emotional reminder of how far she has come.
More anxious at a children’s play session than a major festival
One of the documentary’s most revealing moments comes when Charlie undergoes a scientific experiment examining how her body responds to different environments.
Wearing physiological sensors, her reactions are measured during both a children’s stay-and-play session and a major DJ performance.
The results show that her heart rate during the play session was elevated beyond what would be expected from her physical activity, indicating a heightened stress response.
Yet while performing in front of thousands of people, Charlie’s body shows a very different reaction.
Scientist Sam explains that performing can create a state known as flow, where someone feels absorbed in what they are doing and relatively calm.
For Charlie, the results confirm the striking difference between her professional and personal lives.
On stage, she feels in control. In unfamiliar social situations, she can become overwhelmed by the uncertainty of what to say or how to behave.
She learns that gradually facing uncomfortable situations and changing how she interprets feelings of nervousness may help her manage them.
An emotional CBeebies Bedtime Story with Summer Rose
The documentary concludes with Charlie being invited to read a CBeebies Bedtime Story alongside Summer Rose, marking the first time a parent and child have shared the reading.
The invitation is particularly meaningful because Charlie and her daughter have watched Bedtime Stories together since Summer was born.
However, bringing her broadcasting career and motherhood together presents a new challenge.
“This feels so different because Summer Rose is going to be there, which means I’m also in mum mode. So actually this is probably the first time that I’m bringing the two worlds together.”
Charlie admits she is “absolutely buzzing, also bricking it” about the opportunity.
Appropriately, the book chosen for the occasion is Sammy Feels Shy, about a little boy who struggles with shyness at school.
During a practice reading at home, Charlie reassures Summer Rose that feeling shy is perfectly normal.
“I feel shy too, do you? And that’s okay, my darling. Mummy’s the same.”
On the day of filming, Charlie becomes emotional as she prepares to record the story, but manages to overcome her nerves.
Introducing herself to CBeebies viewers, she openly acknowledges her shyness and explains that even though her job involves talking to large audiences, she can find meeting new people difficult.
After successfully completing the recording with Summer Rose, Charlie reflects on what the experience has taught her.
“The biggest lesson here, right, is to be yourself. You can be shy. That’s fine. Actually, it’s more than fine. It’s brilliant. And actually, it’s enough.”
She concludes: “Shyness, confidence, they do coexist and can coexist. I think being shy is really cool.”
For Radio 1 listeners accustomed to Charlie’s energetic and outgoing broadcasting style, the documentary offers a revealing insight into the person behind the microphone, and the challenges she has overcome throughout her career.
Charlie Hedges’ two-part Parenting Unscripted documentary is available on the CBeebies Parenting YouTube channel and BBC iPlayer. Her special CBeebies Bedtime Story with Summer Rose was first shown on Friday 2 October 2026.
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