Annie Nightingale has revealed the secret of her long career on air – looking the part for radio.

The 75-year-old broadcaster, who started on Radio 1 in 1970, told the Radio Times it was “important to look good”.

Annie Nightingale with Fearne Cotton
Annie Nightingale with Fearne Cotton (Ian West/PA)

The veteran DJ said: “You can’t walk around as if you just got out of bed – it’s a bit of an insult to people listening.

“As much as they say they won’t hire people for their looks, it still goes on. Radio is a fantasy medium and people build up a mental picture of what you look like.”

Annie Nightingale with Norman Cook aka Fatboy Slim
Annie Nightingale with Norman Cook aka Fatboy Slim (Yui Mok/PA)

Annie said her initial application to join the station in the 1960s was turned down by sexist bosses.

She said: “The people who started Radio 1, some of them were ex-RAF. They probably hadn’t experienced women doing equal jobs. They saw women as being their wife.”

The former newspaper journalist and TV presenter was the station’s first female DJ and still hosts a weekly early morning slot between 1am and 4am.