The life of Lauren Laverne: from Sunderland punk band beginnings to Desert Island Discs

Lauren Laverne, one of Britain’s most beloved presenters, revealed today that she has been diagnosed with cancer . Posting from hospital, the 46-year-old BBC Radio 6 DJ and Desert Island Discs host has said it was thankfully “caught early” and that she is expected to make a full recovery.

Sharing the news on Instagram, she said: “Right then, some personal news… I recently had a cancer diagnosis. It was (thank God) caught early and unexpectedly during a screening test and I am expected to make a full recovery.”

The Sunderland native has had an illustrious career and noteworthy private life. From her massive Mackem family to Kenickie, the punk band that led her to fame, all the way to Desert Island Discs, here’s the lowdown on the life of everyone’s favourite radio DJ .

A Mackem girl turned punk singer

Lauren “Laverne” Gofton was born in Sunderland, to a “big, working class family”. Her dad was one of nine children, her mum one of six, she is one of two. Laverne once told The Guardian this throng of people made her feel “safe and secure” growing up. “We were a liberal, political, lively, noisy family,” she said in a 2012 interview.

Laverne grew up with a Mackem (Sunderland equivalent of Geordie) accent which she still retains to this day despite years of living down south. After attending Catholic primary and secondary schools she attended City of Sunderland college, where she formed the band Kenickie alongside her brother Pete and her friends Anne Marie Nixon and Emma Jackson. The band all adopted stage names, which is how she became Lauren Leverne.

Laverne’s father worked at the nearby Newcastle University as a sociology lecturer, while her mother was a teacher. Laverne did get an offer from Durham University to study Medieval History, but she deferred her entry to focus on Kenickie and ultimately never attended.

Kenickie paves the way for Laverne’s fame

Laverne’s band Kenickie, named for the group’s favourite character in Grease, turned out to be one of those college-born bands that actually became a relative success. After initially establishing themselves in the local punk scene and affiliating with the label Slampt, the band later signed with major label EMI. During their time together from 1994 to 1998, Kenickie achieved four top 40 hit singles and a top 10 hit album with At the Club.

Members of Kenickie, particularly Laverne, Nixon and Jackson, were often invited on panel shows like Never Mind The Buzzcocks, where they made waves due to their funny and punkish natures. Laverne also landed her first presenting gig while Kenickie were still together, a Play UK series called The Alphabet Show alongside Chris Addison.

Television, Glasto, and the best gig radio

After The Alphabet Show, Laverne’s TV career was a-go. She went on to present many of the new tide of music TV programmes, including Planet Pop for Channel 4, Fanorama for E4, Party in the Park with Melanie Brown and Pop for Five and Orange Playlist for ITV. Eventually she became BBC Two’s main presenter of Glastonbury coverage, cementing her status as a burgeoning BBC legend.

With a consistent run of BBC projects across the 2010s — including The Culture Show with Mark Kermode from 2006 - 2009 and her permanent position at BBC Radio 6 from 2008 — Laverne quickly became part of the furniture at Broadcasting House.

In 2018, she landed the most beloved job at the Beeb: presenter of Desert Island Discs, the radio show and podcast where celebrities and notable individuals soundtrack their imaginary time stranded on a desert island. Laverne took over from long-time presenter Kirsty Young as she received treatment for fibromyalgia. It was later announced that Young would not be returning.

A life in Muswell Hill and a heart in Sunderland

Laverne lives in Muswell Hill, north London, with her husband Graeme Fisher — a fellow DJ and TV producer — and their two sons. Speaking to Red Magazine in 2019, she said of her marriage: “I think we're really lucky and I'm really glad we're happy and we still get on well.

“But I'm not going to sit here and spout kernels of wisdom, because there might be people reading this going through a divorce thinking, 'Lauren, shut up.' We've been together a long time and we get on great, but that's not necessarily the goal for everyone.”

According to the same interview, Fisher acts as the “main carer” to their sons, Fergus and Mach, as Laverne has carefully managed parenting while maintaining a successful career.

Despite her London base, Laverne’s heart is firmly in her home city of Sunderland. She owns a second home there and has been appointed an ambassador for the city, as well as an honorary graduate of the University of Sunderland.

Laverne revealed on 21 August that she had been diagnosed with cancer. Breaking the news of her diagnosis on Instagram, she wrote: “Right then, some personal news… I recently had a cancer diagnosis. It was (thank God) caught early and unexpectedly during a screening test and I am expected to make a full recovery.” The presenter and radio DJ went on to thank her physicians and colleagues at the BBC, as well as encouraging others to go for a check up.

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