Jo Whiley: what Radio 2 DJ said about sister's Covid diagnosis - and Cri Du Chat syndrome explained

Jo Whiley missed her Radio 2 slot on Thursday night following a family emergency.

The broadcaster, 55, revealed on Twitter that her sister had become “very poorly” since testing positive following a coronavirus outbreak at her care home in Northamptonshire.

Whiley said she felt “very scared” at the news, and that pop singer Will Young would be standing in for her in her regular BBC Radio 2 slot on Thursday.

Whiley has previously questioned why she was offered the vaccine before her sister, who has the rare Cri du Chat genetic syndrome.

What did Jo Whiley say?

Jo Whiley explained her absence on Twitter after listeners voiced concern.

She said: “I can’t do my @BBCRadio2 show this evening. My sister Frances is v poorly in hospital with Covid. I don’t feel shiny or happy tonight, I feel very scared. However I’ll be listening to @willyoung who I know will light up our kitchen in the depths of our darkness.”

In a second tweet, she added: “Ps. Things we’ve learnt. Get yourself an oximeter- they are vital for exposing dangerously low oxygen levels which you can have even though u feel fine with Covid.”

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Tuesday morning, Whiley said the care home where Frances is a resident had suffered an outbreak of Covid-19 last week.

She said the effect on her sister’s mental health had been “quite extreme”, and that Frances had been unable to see her parents.

Earlier in the week she revealed that her sister, 53, had tested positive for coronavirus.

She tweeted: “Feel like I’m in a terrible film with bad plot twists.

“Late last night I got a call to say that Frances, my sister, had tested positive & has Covid.

“Our worst fears realised after keeping her safe for a year & with a vaccine so close… she’s OK so far… Everything crossed.”

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Tuesday morning, Whiley questioned why she had been offered a vaccine before her sister/

She said: “all weekend it has been awful – really, really difficult. It has been hard for my parents, it has been hard for everyone in the care home, and it continues.

“And then, ironically, I got a message to say I was due to have my vaccine before my sister who has got learning difficulties and underlying health conditions. Go figure.”

What is Cri du Chat genetic syndrome?

Cri du Chat syndrome is a rare disorder in which a portion of the short arm of chromosome 5 is missing.

According to National Organisation for Rare Disorders (NORD) Cri du Chat symptoms vary greatly from case to case "depending upon the exact size and location of the deleted genetic material.”

NORD say that “common symptoms include a distinctive cry that resembles the mewing of a cat, characteristic facial features, slow growth, and microcephaly, a condition that indicates that head circumference is smaller than would be expected for an infant's age and sex.”

The incidence of the disorder varies from 1-15,000 to 50,000 according to NORD.