Gabby Logan breaks silence on Gary Lineker's exit from BBC TV presenting role

ok.co.uk:

Gabby Logan has candidly shared her thoughts on hosting Sports Personality of the Year 2024 without Gary Lineker, who stepped back from the role last November.

Gabby is set to grace the stage for her 11th year at the prestigious awards ceremony, this time with Clare Balding and Alex Scott by her side.

Chatting about the event's groundbreaking all-female presenting team, Gabby remarked that working in a female-dominated environment isn't new to her. "It doesn’t feel like such a huge thing for me because I’m regularly in a studio presenting athletics with Denise Lewis, Jessica Ennis-Hill and Paula Radcliffe, so I’m often in situations where there isn’t a man around," she explained in a chat with The Mirror.

She believes it's all about having the right people for the job, saying, "It’s horses for courses. It’s about having the best and most relevant people to work on that show.There are good men and good women in the business." Regarding Gary's absence, Gabby expressed confidence in their capabilities: "The three of us have done it before, we’re all experienced with SPOTY – and obviously Gary decided to step down, but I think we have it covered." Gary Lineker bid farewell to his SPOTY presenting duties after the BBC revealed his new 18-month contract, which includes his departure from Match of the Day and ultimately the BBC following the World Cup in July 2026.This year's awards are set to be a star-studded affair with talents like Jude Bellingham, Keely Hodgkinson, Luke Littler, Joe Root, Sarah Storey, and Alex Yee all vying for the prestigious title, following in the footsteps of last year's winner Mary Earps.