Greg James became emotional as he returned to Radio 1 for the first time following the death of his beloved dog Barney.

The presenter was absent from Tuesday (4 August) morning’s breakfast show after sharing the “horrible news” that Barney, the chocolate Labrador he shares with wife Bella Mackie, had been put to sleep.

“I can’t really get my head around it. But he was peaceful, we were with him at home in the garden in the sunshine and I can’t stop crying,” James wrote on Instagram.

The radio host, 40, returned to the airwaves on Wednesday (5 August), where he told listeners that it was “nice to be back”.

“Yes, I wasn’t here yesterday ’cause a very, very sad thing happened with my very, very lovely dog,” he explained, adding that he didn’t “really want to talk about it too much because I will cry”.

“But just to say, he’s with the Queen and Paddington now,” he added, before cracking up laughing at his reference to the “Paddington as Grim Reaper” painting-turned-meme that shows the bear holding Queen Elizabeth II’s hand and walking her to the afterlife.

James continued: “Look, I’m going to have to laugh, because as my old nan used to say, ‘If you don’t laugh, you’ll cry.’

“Love that Barney boy so much, my God. I guess it’s the whole thing, isn’t it? The price of love is pain, and my pain and my sadness is so much, because I loved him so god damn much. He was so joyful. What a thing.”

James thanked listeners for their “outpouring” of support, saying that Barney, who he adopted from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home in 2019 and frequently appeared on his radio show, was “so loved” and that he was “very happy to have shared him with everyone”.

“Unbelievable. Oh god, he was so, so good. Talk about an impact player,” James continued. “Came along, changed my life, and then went, ‘Alright, see you then. You’re OK now, off I go,’” he said. “This is the mad thing: I wanted him to live forever, but it just wasn’t the best thing for him. He was in a lot of pain, but now he’s not.”

James said that he used to be in “the gang” who don’t understand the connection between dogs and their owners, “and then I had one, and was like, ‘Oh, yeah, I really get it.’”

Stumbling over his words as he grew emotional again, the presenter said: “Good old Barney. He was such a good boy. He was the best boy ever… If there’s one thing he taught me, it’s just have a nice time.”

James has hosted Radio 1’s breakfast show since 2018, having first joined the BBC station in 2007 aged 21.