Sue Barker's five-word swipe at BBC as she vows to 'never return' to channel
After almost a quarter of a century presenting A Question of Sport, former tennis ace Sue Barker was replaced by Paddy McGuinness in 2021 - and the show was axed altogether less than two years later.
Now, asked if she would ever return to the channel to host again, she's made her feelings clear. The 68-year-old declared that it will "never happen", as "the right decision is no". Talking on the Monday Mile with Aimee Fuller podcast, Sue admitted she would be "amazingly tempted".
However, despite viewer figures slumping significantly following BBC's rebrand - which also involved replacing captains Matt Dawson and Phil Tufnell with Sam Quek and Ugo Monye - Sue isn't interested in stepping in again to save the day. "I'd be tempted [with] A Question Of Sport [and] I'd be tempted to go back to Wimbledon, but I know that the right decision is no," she insisted.
"The right decision for me is no and the right decision for the programme is no, but if I was 20-30 years younger, I'd jump at it, absolutely." She declared decisively: "My time was then."
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READ MORE: Sue Barker addresses 'painful' moment with Andy Murray after he broke down [LATEST]
Sue Barker and Phil Tufnell back in their A Question of Sport days (Image: PA)She had addressed the changes on BBC Breakfast, explaining: "[The channel] wanted to refresh the programme and that's absolutely fine.
"We knew it was going to happen and it was just the way in which it happened and the way it was handled, and the way I think the BBC wanted me to say that I was walking away from it," she lamented.
"I'd never walk away from a job I loved. I didn't mind being replaced. Absolutely fine. That happens - but it was just the way it was handled," Sue concluded.
She has since admitted her disappointment - not just for herself but for the new and upcoming athletes who will not get a chance to appear on the classic decades-old show.
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Meanwhile, Sue will have to go back in time more than a decade to relive the most pleasurable moment of her broadcasting career: announcing Andy Murray as Wimbledon champion back in 2013.
He had to fight back tears when discussing his retirement with her, after pulling out of what would have been his last ever Wimbledon singles match just hours before he was due on the court.
Despite all the sadness, Sue's fans will be reassured to hear that she and her former A Question of Sport colleagues could reunite for a comeback in a brand new setting.
"It's early stages yet, but we're hoping to do a theatre tour in a sports quiz next year in 2025," she revealed.
"We're sort of hoping we'll be able to do that. Fingers crossed, it'll be good to get the gang back together."
Sue Barker's five-word swipe at BBC as she vows to 'never return' to channel
Sue Barker's five-word swipe at BBC as she vows to 'never return' to channel
Sue Barker's five-word swipe at BBC as she vows to 'never return' to channel
Sue Barker's five-word swipe at BBC as she vows to 'never return' to channel
Sue Barker's five-word swipe at BBC as she vows to 'never return' to channel
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