Sara Cox prefers to have a full personal life over work.

The 45-year-old broadcaster - who has Lola, 15, with ex-husband Jon Carter and Isaac, 12, and Renee, 10, with spouse Ben Cyzer - saw her career take a back seat after she had her kids, and she credits her showbiz pals Davina McCall, Richard Madeley and Jonathan Ross with helping her to get back on track, as well as her coach Michael Heppell.

Reflecting on that period, she admitted: ''I wasn't feeling very confident and I texted Davina McCall asking for help and Davina, being Davina, rang me straight back - which is lovely.

''She put me in touch with success coach Michael Heppell, which was the best thing she could have done.''

Sara explained how she was told by Michael to draw a beach ball to depict both her work life and her personal life and the latter she described as if someone had stabbed a ''steak knife through it.

Sara now presents BBC Radio 2's Drivetime show and is currently writing a novel and she says that ''given the choice'', she'd much rather have her family time and personal ''fully inflated'' over her work.

She said: ''Michael gave me the confidence that I could have a fulfilling career and family life, but given the choice, I'd take my personal life being fully inflated over my career.''

On her current work/life balance, she added to Psychologies magazine: ''I'm busy at work but I'm also home trying to write a new book, a novel.

''I do 'Loose Ends' with Clive anderson on Radio 4.

''I'm about in the mornings to take the kids to school every day.

''Because i'm air at teatime, I miss out on the homework and the afternoon school run, which is a notorious bun fight - but I get home for the nice bedtime cuddles.

''Renne and I are reading 'The Midnight Gang' by David Walliams before lights out, which is perfect.''