Adele Roberts

Adele Roberts is a much-loved British radio broadcaster, TV presenter and DJ, and a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community alongside her partner Kate Holderness who, together, promote the increase of lesbian representation in the media.

In 2021, Adele was diagnosed with stage two bowel cancer; since then, she has made it her mission to raise awareness of the illness and promote wearing a stoma bag as a necessity and not an embarrassment.

Adele is a professional, passionate, experienced and honest speaker, talking about her career in broadcasting, as well as the wider issues surrounding her sexuality and her cancer diagnosis.

Contact Great British Speakers today to book radio broadcaster LGBTQ+ bowel cancer campaigner Adele Roberts for your next event.

Type Of Presenter

Cancer Awareness Diversity Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Event Hosts Female Speakers Health & Wellbeing Influencer LGBTQ+ (Pride) Mental Health Presenters Resilience Speaker Virtual Speakers

More About Adele Roberts

Adele Roberts – Media Career

Adele Roberts started her radio career in 2002 at Lancashire’s Rock FM, honing her skills over the next decade across The Hits Radio in Manchester and Galaxy (now Capital Radio) in Leeds. She then moved to the BBC and began hosting BBC Radio 1Extra. In 2020, she made history by becoming the first mixed-race woman to host Radio 1’s breakfast show. Later that year, she was announced as the new host of their weekend breakfast show. She has also provided cover for The Live Lounge slot and BBC Radio 2’s Rhythm Nation show.

Whilst best known for her radio work, Adele has appeared on television as a presenter, commentator, contestant and guest. She can regularly be heard commentating for BBC Sport, including at the 2019 London Marathon, the FA People’s Cup, Great Manchester Run, and the World BMX Championships.

She appeared in an early series of Big Brother (2002), followed by the spinoff Big Brother’s Big Awards Show (2010). She also starred in I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here (2019), alongside spinoffs I’m a Celebrity…Extra Camp (2019) and I’m a Celebrity…Surviving the Jungle (2019). She has also appeared on shows including The Gadget Show (2016), Lorraine (2019), Sport Relief (2020), Good Morning Britain (2020), Celebrity Coach Trip (2020) – which she won alongside her partner Kate, Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two (2022), Loose Women (2022), and Celebrity Mastermind (2022).

Adele Roberts TV presenter DJ LGBTQ+ Bowel Cancer Speaker Campaigner book at Great British Speakers

Adele Roberts – LGBTQ+ Community Work

Adele is very open about her sexuality and has been in a relationship with Kate Holderness since 2004. She has worked hard in her private and professional life to promote and support LGBTQ+ campaigns for equal representation in the media. In 2013, she presented a series on BBC Radio 1 called Coming Out, where she spoke to young people around the UK about their coming out stories.

Her work for the LGBTQ+ community has seen her nominated for and winning several related awards. In 2017, 2018 and 2019, she was nominated for Broadcaster of the Year at the Diva Awards and again at the LGBT Awards in 2018 and 2020. Then in 2022, Adele was named Role Model of the Year at the British LGBT Awards due to her support for the community and her campaign around bowel cancer.

Kate Holderness Adele Roberts - LGBTQIA+ bowel cancer stoma visibility campaigners speakers at Great British Speakers

Adele Roberts – Health and Charity work

Adele enjoys using her athleticism skills and public platform to raise money for charity. She ran the London marathon in 2017 and 2018, raising money for Heads Together, a mental health charity started by the Prince and Princess of Wales. She also participated in the 2019 Sport Relief netball match, winning alongside the likes of Strictly dancer Oti Mabuse.

Adele Roberts – Bowel Cancer

In 2021, Adele was diagnosed with Stage 2 bowel cancer, resulting in a low anterior resection and ileostomy surgery and leaving her with a stoma bag. After several rounds of chemotherapy, Adele announced she was “cancer free” in June 2022.

Her cancer diagnosis did not stop her fundraising attempts. By January 2022, she had achieved her goal of running 5km every day for one year, donating £5 to a different cancer charity with each 5km won. She took some time off work during her treatment, and upon her return to Radio 1, she was awarded the public-voted Radio Times Moment of the Year Award at the Audio and Radio Industry Awards.

Adele Roberts – Speaking about cancer & media awareness

Adele is keen to talk to others about her health experiences in the hope that they can go away feeling informed, touched, and eager to help support relevant campaigns. She is also passionate about busting any myths about stoma bags and tries to eliminate any embarrassment one may cause. In 2022, she appeared on the front cover of Women’s Health magazine in a crop top, showing her stoma bag in the hope that people would soon accept it was a normal part of treatment. Since her diagnosis, she has used her social media platform – with a following of over 357,000 people – to encourage others to be aware of the symptoms of bowel cancer.