Virgin Radio host Chris Evans, 53, told his listeners about the time he was almost late to the Fortnum and Mason’s Food and Drink Awards, where Prince Charles, 70, was the guest of honour. Chris told his listeners that, after a nightmare journey with a companion, he resorted to hiring a Santander Cycle, best known as a ‘Boris Bike’, to get him to the venue on time. The radio host told his listeners: “We had to go and buy a new outfit. So, we bought a new outfit on the hoof. The Frothy Coffee Man [Hiten Vora] said, ‘Give us your sweaty stuff and I’ll sort that out.’”
After buying and changing into the new outfit, they got into a car and attempted to make their way to the London venue.
But, with standstill traffic, Chris said he was urged to opt for a plan B: the Boris bikes.
Speaking in present tense to illustrate the moment, he added: “We’ve got to be there on time because Prince Charles is coming and it goes into lockdown and all that kind of stuff you can imagine, so you can’t be late.
“And I am presenting Mary Berry with this award that she doesn’t know about, so I have to be there.”
He added: “Frothy Coffee Man says, ‘[Hiring a] Boris Bike is the only way. ‘
“So, he gets me a Boris Bike out of one of the bays, so I start pedalling.”
Chris then highlighted it was a “really hot” day and his last minute outfit consisted of multiple layers which made him sweat.
After finally getting to the venue just on time, he concluded: “I arrived there dripping like a sponge.”
Thankfully, Chris managed to present Mary with the TV Personality of the Year award.
The Prince of Wales also received a special award recognising “his unwavering commitment to the cause of sustainable and healthy food and farming”.
Elsewhere, Fortnum and Mason’s Food and Drink Awards isn’t the first time the radio host almost missed a big event.
Chris recently revealed he almost missed the birth of his second child with wife Natasha Shishmanian, 38, when he was away at a festival.
He explained: “I was doing the Hay Festival when she went into labour.
“She was late so, we thought, Hay is just around the corner.
“I was in the pub and just ordered a pint of shandy, because I was being semi-responsible, and a bag of nuts.”
After a 12-hour journey to the hospital, Chris managed to witness the birth of their second child; a son named Eli.
Chris Evans’ Breakfast Show airs weekdays at 6.30am on Virgin Radio.
