Sue Barker takes her Porsche for a spin in the Cotswolds as Clare Balding limbers up at Pilates
Sue Barker takes her Porsche for a spin in the Cotswolds while Clare Balding leans into Pilates as she prepares to take over as BBC main presenter at Wimbledon
After Sue Barker stepped down as the voice of Wimbledon, it seems she’s found a new way to spend her summers.
The presenter, who has presented the BBC’s coverage of the tournament for 30 years, took a top-of-the-range Porsche 911 Turbo S for a spin in the Cotswolds last Saturday, June 24.
Ms Barker, 67, was pictured getting into the vehicle, which costs more than £180,000 and has a top speed of 200 mph, before donning sunglasses and driving off.
Ms Barker was paid a six-figure salary of up to £189,999, according to last year’s BBC list of top earners.
She retired from presenting Wimbledon coverage last summer after 30 years and received an emotional farewell from tennis stars Tim Henman, Andy Murray and Roger Federer.
Sue Barker (pictured), who presented the BBC’s coverage of the tournament for 30 years, took a top of the line Porsche 911 Turbo S for a spin in the Cotswolds last Saturday, June 24
The vehicle (pictured) costs over £180,000 and has a top speed of 205 mph
And as Mrs. Barker whizzed through the countryside, her replacement Clare Balding wound up for the championship.
Ms Balding, 52, who is now the BBC’s main Wimbledon presenter, was seen leaving a Pilates session at her local West London gym wearing black leggings and a blue T-shirt.
In recent years, the sports journalist has stayed in shape with a combination of exercise classes, local walks and running, which she started during the lockdown.
Ms Barker’s decision to retire came two years after the BBC revealed it would not renew her contract for A Question of Sport.
The former French Open champion led the series alongside team captains Phil Tuffnell and Matt Dawson, who were also ejected.
Mrs Barker’s replacement, Clare Balding (pictured), saw herself nimble on her way to the Championship
John McEnroe speaks with Sue Barker at the Wimbledon No. 1 Court Celebration on May 19, 2019
Earlier this month, Ms Barker recalled the day she was sent packing after 24 years, likening her treatment to being given school detention.
She told Hay Festival: ‘So I got up to leave and [management] says ‘no can you go out through that door, I don’t want you to see the boys’. I was like ‘are you serious?’ It felt like a school arrest. I can’t go out through the front door, I go out through the back door.
‘Come out, boys. Matt was really quite concerned. Tuffers, in true Tuffers fashion, thought he was getting a raise, so he went in extremely happy and the next moment burst into tears. He’s very emotional.’ The trio had been convened for separate meetings with management where they were dealt the blows.
They asked the BBC for statements from them for when the news came out, but heard nothing for weeks before the broadcaster contacted them to ask them to sign a statement saying they had decided to resign.
She had previously told the Mail that the dismissal had left her “somewhat damaged” and “miserably sad”.
Paddy McGuinness replaced Ms Barker in the long running quiz show alongside Sam Quek and Ugo Monye.