00:00After 52 years on air, Football Focus is coming to an end.
00:05To have been part of this show has been incredibly special
00:08and I'm so grateful and proud of the eight years that I've been involved,
00:13including the five years I've had the honour of presenting it.
00:16It has been such an important part of my life.
00:19I mean, I've got to work with some of the very best people in the business,
00:22both on screen and behind the scenes.
00:24I've loved so much of it.
00:26The conversations, the laughter and sharing so many big moments with you, the audience.
00:31So thank you for being part of it.
00:34I always knew that this would be my last season on the show,
00:37which the BBC were aware of also.
00:39My intention was to move quietly into the next chapter, but here we are.
00:44Sometimes things change.
00:45But when the show began all those years ago, social media wasn't a driving force.
00:50Podcasts didn't exist and there was no instant access to information in the way there is today.
00:55I mean, now by the time that we go on air, the reality is that you've already seen it,
00:58debated it and lived it across so many platforms.
01:01That shift has changed the whole industry.
01:03TV audiences have been declining for years,
01:05while digital and on-demand viewing continues to grow.
01:08It's simply the right time for Football Focus to say goodbye.
01:12This is a chance to celebrate what the show has been for 52 years,
01:16a programme that has been part of so many people's weekends and lives, including mine.
01:22I'm also excited for what comes next.
01:24And in many ways, I feel lighter just being able to say that and share this with you.
01:29The lead up to this announcement, not going to lie, it has felt heavy.
01:33And at times it has filled me with so much anxiety and dread because of the toxic side
01:39of social media that I'm often told to ignore and just carry on.
01:42But I'm human, just like you.
01:44So I would love nothing more than for this moment to be about recognising the iconic show
01:49that is closing its doors and celebrating everything it has given and nothing else.
01:53We've still got a few Saturdays left together,
01:55so let's make sure that this show leaves our screens in the best way possible,
02:00reflecting the impact it has had on so many people.
02:04Shows come and go.
02:06But what Football Focus has meant to people,
02:10that, that will stay forever.
02:14I love you.
02:14I love you.
02:14I love you, too.
02:14I love you.
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