Anneka Rice has revealed that she was left crying in a sofa shop when she found out the BBC was replacing her with Dermot O’Leary.
The 64-year-old TV and radio presenter was told she would lose her weekend breakfast slot on Radio 2 with just two weeks’ notice.
It was replaced by Dermot 49, in 2017, and she was “shocked” when her agent called with the bad news while she was shopping for new furniture.
Overcome with emotion, the mother of three was unable to leave the store until she had calmed down.
Anneka, who had worked at the BBC for 46 years when she was sacked, was ‘disappointed’ that no one from the BBC contacted her to tell her personally.
Distraught: Anneka Rice has revealed she was left crying in a sofa shop when she found out the BBC was replacing her with Dermot O’Leary (pictured 2022)
Shocking: The 64-year-old TV and radio presenter was told she would lose her Radio 2 weekend breakfast slot with just two weeks’ notice (pictured March 2023)
Replacement: She was replaced by the Dermot 49, in 2017, and was “shocked” when her agent called with the bad news while she was shopping for new furniture (pictured in 2017)
He told the Off Air With Jane and Fi podcast: “The worst [of my time with the BBC] It was when I lost my breakfast show on Radio 2 with two weeks notice having done it for over ten years.
‘I just got a call from my agent saying ‘you’re not going to do it in two weeks’.
“I was actually in a sofa store at the time, and I remember sitting in the sofa store and crying, I couldn’t leave, it was pretty embarrassing.
“It was disappointing that no one from the BBC contacted me.
“So I thought that doesn’t matter because of course they’re going to give it to a younger, feisty woman, and I was up for that…and then it didn’t, it went to Dermot O’Leary, who I love. , but that was more of a shock.
“I did a training course at the BBC 46 years ago, Tony Blackburn and I must be the longest-serving BBC members in existence.”
Anneka made the comments as her most prolific show of the ’90s, Challenge Anneka, returned to UK screens.
During episodes of the show, which aired on the BBC between 1989 and 1995, Anneka and her team of volunteers undertook challenging tasks against the clock, often to raise money for charity.
Famous challenges, which he usually undertook while wearing his signature blue and pink jumpsuit, included building a pool for orphan seals and building a suspension bridge in Cornwall.
Speaking about why the show was recommissioned, he said he thinks it’s because the people who now work in television grew up watching the show.
“I think it’s that the people who are doing TV shows now remember it,” he explained.
So they were children. Now they have the power. The commissioners of all these channels grew up on Challenge.
Anneka announced in May that she would return to helm the show, saying she hopes the relaunched show will help challenge stereotypes about gender roles on television, just as her original show did for female hosts.
Speaking about the precursor to Challenge Anekka, a show she hosted called Treasure Hunt, she told Radio 4’s Today show: “She absolutely put a woman in control right in the middle of the action that drives the narrative.”
“It really changed the face of television and in so many ways, and I want to fly the flag for women today.”
She added: ‘Forty years ago, you have to remember where women were placed on television. They were usually placed on top of cars as prizes in a trivia game or behind a news desk.
Speaking about aging as a woman, she said again that she feels the same as she did 30 years ago, but added that “there’s possibly more conversation about how we look, or how we may be dealing with it, whereas for men they just go ahead and do it.” , and your image and brand will remain intact.’
On the show (pictured), Anneka and a team of volunteers took on challenges that they tried to complete within a set time frame.
Anneka has said that her show Treasure Hunt, the precursor to Challenge Anekka, “put a woman absolutely in control right at the center of the action that drives the narrative” (Anneka Rice pictured presenting Treasure Hunt)
Speaking to PA News about the show’s return, Anneka added: ‘I can’t believe this is actually happening. The last few years have shown us all the power of the community and how great it is to be part of something bigger than ourselves.
‘The whole team is as motivated as ever to make a difference and highlight the people and organizations that need help.
‘Three decades later, the problems may seem different, but deep down they are the same; it is about people and communities.
“And we may look a little different too, but our hearts and our willingness to get caught up are the same.”