Sky Sports presenter Simon Thomas is one of the contenders to replace Jeff Stelling as the face of Soccer Saturday after the iconic presenter stepped down after 25 years in the role
- Simon Thomas stopped working full time after his wife tragically died
- Thomas is on Sky Sports’ shortlist for Stelling’s replacement on football Saturday
- The 50-year-old previously had the role of head football presenter at Sky Sports
Simon Thomas is one of the names being considered to succeed Jeff Stelling on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday show.
The former Blue Peter presenter, who tragically lost his wife in 2017, is in the picture, although Sky bosses insist a decision has not yet been made.
Thomas retired from full-time agency work following the sudden death of his wife Gemma six years ago, just three days after she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia.
After 18 years in the industry, Thomas took time off from work to look after his eight-year-old son, leaving Sky in the process where he was previously a leading football presenter.
He now freelances for various platforms, but hopes to return to full-time acting in the near future.
Simon Thomas is one of the names considered to be Jeff Stelling’s successor
Stelling left Soccer Saturday after over 25 years at the helm of the Sky Sports show
The 50-year-old posted to LinkedIN earlier this year saying, “For many years, while I was technically freelance, I wasn’t really.
“For about 18 years at the BBC with Blue Peter and then Sky Sports I had contracts for one, two or even three years. For a broadcaster, these contracts were absolute gold dust. I was incredibly lucky.
‘Financially I had security, I could make plans, I could put money aside for holidays, pay pensions & rain day funds.
“Almost five years later, deep down I still know it was the right decision; but as I have been slowly trying to rebuild my career; it left me in the strange new world of being truly freelance
“That world of feeling busy and fulfilled with a full work schedule for one minute, only to turn the page and see empty weeks ahead and feel a sense of unsettling emptiness.
“I quickly learned that being a freelance on-air is not for the faint hearted. One minute you’re feeling on top of the world wondering how you’re going to fit it all in; then you feel that uneasy fear as you think about where the next performance will come from. Will the rainy day fund run out?
Part of me loves the excitement of the unknown; not knowing what might come next; but perhaps a greater part of me longs for a return to the days of a decent degree of security.’
Thomas lost his partner just three days after she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia