Chris Moyles felt "cross" after being suddenly replaced by Nick Grimshaw on Radio 1.
Chirs Moyles opens up about his BBC Radio 1 exit
The 48-year-old star - who is currently taking part in 'I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!' - was a regular fixture on the station between 1997 and 2012 but was hastily replaced in his slot by Nick Grimshaw in a move that he believes was handled "so so badly."
Speaking on Monday's episode of the ITV reality survival show, he told campmate Matt Hancock: "I left happy, I was a bit cross after I left and I was cross… they handled it so badly, so badly. So I went in with my agent and the controller and we sit down and he goes, ‘Look, this isn’t very easy, I think it’s time we wrapped the show up. We’re going to announce in the news at half 10 that Nick Grimshaw’s taking over."
The UK's former Health Secretary appeared shocked as he exclaimed "No!" and Chris went on to explain that his agent tried to defend him in what became a heated argument with BBC executives.
He added: "My agent went, ‘That’s out of order’ and it all got a bit steamy. And I’m like, ‘Both of you calm down, stop.’ I said to the boss, ‘You can’t do that.’ He goes, ‘Well if we don’t do that, it’ll get out.’ I said, ‘Well up until 60 seconds ago, I didn’t know about it. So, after 15 years, you can’t do that. I have to announce that I’m coming off the breakfast show and we have to work out what’s happening. This is not a two minute conversation and that’s naughty.’ So I said ‘Look, trust me, I’ve been here a long time, let me make the announcement and then I’d love to get involved with how we then announce who is going to take over.’ And they announced it at 10.30 the next morning. We finished at 10 they announced it at 10.30 that Nick was taking over. I was just like, ‘Ok, alright.’ But, they gave us three months to say goodbye, which was great. So I said, ‘You know, thanks for everything, cheers."
Matt - who had compared Chris' abrupt end with his BBC radio show to his own time in politics - asked him how it felt to be ousted after so long and Chris replied that he took a year off and eventually met now-girlfriend Tiffany Austin while on holiday.
He said: "I decided to take a year off at that point. And that was fun. I went and rented a house in LA for a month, text all my mates that lived there and people I’d got to know going, ‘I’m back in town for 4 weeks, let’s get a coffee, let’s get dinner, let’s go to the pub.’ And I had a little life. And that’s where I met Tiff. She was living there."
Reflecting on his conversation with Matt in the Bush Telegraph, Chris said: "When you do the breakfast show on Radio 1 you get these amazing opportunities coming your way, but you always know in the back of your head, one day that will finish. So when it did finish, to do the musical, to do my own tour, and then meet my future girlfriend - then my life changed entirely. So, no regrets, all happy, it’s been a good journey so far."
'I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here!' watch the next live episode tomorrow at 9.15pm (Tuesday) on Virgin Media One and Virgin Media Player.
Tagged in Chris Moyles