Empathy for Eddie Nestors car crash radio show on BBC Radio London

 Yesterday was Valentines day. The day when we spoil and treat our beloved partners. I day when we let out our inner Casanova to shmooz the special person in our lives. Sadly for one of my favourite radio presenters, even though he's always banning me from his show, the words that greeted him when he got home were not "How wonderful to see you!". They were more like "Idiot", "Don't you ever think", "Have you no respect".  If you weren't listening, you may be wondering why. Eddie started the show off by explaining he was in trouble. I assume, although he didn't explicity say so, he forget the obligatory card and chocolates, required to ensure a romantic evening. I felt his pain, I had also forgot. One of my staff is off, so I've been covering shifts. It's also been really busy and I've been getting home late. No excuse, I know, but there you go.

But it got worse for poor old Eddie. He then told a story about how his teenage son had been searched at the pound shop, suspected of shoplifting.  It appears that this was in error and Eddie was cross. He mentioned it in response to a comment from a caller. A few minutes later, he rather sullenly said "Now I'm really in trouble, Mrs Nestor is not happy, I hadn't told her about our son getting searched, but I told the whole of London first". I can jut see the situation as he walked in "What were you thinking?".

I have a degree of empathy for Eddie here. Of course he's a fool and an idiot, of course he shouldn't discuss the family business on air, but I do get exactly why he's found himself in this mess. I've done the same thing myself in this blog. I've had the cold shoulder and the "How dare you" when I've mentioned personal things. It  is no justification but when you are on a roll and saying something that is important to you, it is so easy to switch of fyour common sense filter. 

This morning, Eddie is not on his show. I am genuinely worried for him. He's a had a journey a bit like mine. He's a cancer survivor, he's had his challenges with his mental health, he likes to talk and he wears his heart on his sleeve. He is also careless in his personal relationships and doesn't always get his priorities in order. My missus will no doubt have a lot of empathy for Mrs Nestor. The fact that both of us are bad at using our common sense in these matters does not mean we don't put the family absolutely first. We just think in a way that means we get things wrong occasionally and that is part of the package.

Last year, when I was at my lowest point following my radical prostatectomy, Eddie reached out to me and offered support. He's a good man and when I heard he wasn't on the air, I felt for him. I get why he's in the doghouse, God knows, I've had enough lectures on the matter to appreciate why. All I can posibly say to Mrs Nestor, who I guess is totally fuming about this matter is that women are always telling men that they don't talk about their feelings enough. The thing is, when we do, we often shoot ourselves in the foot. We are rubbish at it. So I ask her to forgive Eddie, just as my long suffering Mrs has forgiven me for being a complete, indescrete, uncaring idiot on many occasion.