POLLY James could be forgiven for wondering what daylight is. The Welsh radio presenter has been living in strictly nocturnal circumstances for the past three years as the overnight host on Absolute Radio.

Despite possessing the sorts of qualifications that would render her ideal if Hollywood were ever to make another Twilight movie, the bubbly Cardiff-born disc jockey last week bid an emotional farewell to her loyal audience of cabbies, students, night workers, truck drivers, parents and insomniacs.

Her departure from the national radio station came with good reason - it heralded a return to her native Wales and more importantly the opportunity to helm the weekend breakfast show on Capital FM South Wales - part of the giant commercial radio group Global which owns such diverse and well known brands as Heart, XFM, Classic FM and LBC.

Acknowledged by the radio industry as a rising star, the offer of a daytime gig was too good to turn down especially as it meant a move back home for the 26-year-old.

However, there was certainly no sign of a burgeoning broadcasting career while at school for the DJ - who only took her place behind the mic aged 21, and within the space of 12 months found herself broadcasting to the nation on Absolute Radio as a self-confessed 22-year-old novice.

Attending Stanwell Comprehensive in Penarth, the energetic youngster excelled at sports, and athletics in particular.

"I've always had a bit of excess energy and I was a bit of a terror. I had so much energy. I reckon I had ADHD, which I think is why my mum took me to do athletics as quickly as she could," jokes James, who competed in long jump and heptathlon for Wales and GB Juniors.

"I was a complete sports geek. I took it quite seriously. So from 12 years old I managed to get a good coach on board and started training six days a week. I was completely dedicated to it."

Persevering with her promising sporting career until she was 18, the leap into adulthood found her questioning which path to follow.

"I left school at 16 and did a sports course at Barry College. From 16 to 18, I started to think, 'oh I'm growing up now, real life is about to hit me in the face.' So if I was to take athletics seriously I was going to have to go hell for leather with it or I'd quit and start something new.

"I made the decision that I wanted to do something different because I'd been training all the time from such a young age, it had consumed my life," she adds. "Therefore, I felt like I needed to do other things."

Following a stint as a personal trainer, James spotted a vacancy as part of the promotions team at Red Dragon Radio in Cardiff (the station which was rebranded Capital FM South Wales in 2011).

"It was basically handing out flyers and leaflets on the street, but little...