BBC Radio 2 DJ Johnnie Walker makes 'very sad announcement' during show

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

BBC Radio 2 DJ Johnnie Walker has made the "very sad announcement" that he is retiring from radio after a 58-year career as a broadcaster.

While hosting today's edition of Sounds Of The 70s on the BBC station, the 79-year-old informed his listeners that he would be stepping down from the Sunday afternoon show, as well as The Rock Show.

Johnnie started his announcement by reading out a letter from a listener whose father had been a fan of the show but had passed away in 2022 due to pulmonary fibrosis, a condition the DJ himself was diagnosed with earlier this year.

He then told listeners: "Now, that leads me to be making a very sad announcement." READ MORE: Dame Judi Dench tears up as she's asked about friend Maggie Smith He continued: "The struggles I've had with doing the show and trying to sort of keep up a professional standard suitable for Radio 2 has been getting more and more difficult, hence my little jokes about Puffing Billy, so I've had to make the decision that I need to bring my career to an end after 58 years." He told his fans he would be presenting his last Sounds Of The 70s show on October 27, promising to "make the last three shows as good as I possibly can".