Bill Turnbull Reveals The Real Reason He Quit 'BBC Breakfast'

Bill Turnbull has opened up about his decision to leave ‘BBC Breakfast’, revealing he quit as he did not want to become “stale”. 

The presenter left the programme earlier this year, after over 15 years on the sofa, and has now admitted he often struggled with the pressures of hosting a daily three-hour live broadcast in the modern era. 

Speaking to the Daily Express, Bill said: “I left the BBC as I did not want to become stale. I did not want to be clocking on and clocking off.

“Sometimes you have two packs on, you have information coming in through your ears and you are twisting and turning. After three hours you know you have done a programme but you are meant to look comfortable and happy to be there. I used to say we should have run a scientific experiment to measure my blood pressure when I was on.”

He continued: “It was like riding a stage coach and you get to the end and you are grateful to be alive. That is the trouble with broadcasting in this day and age – if you make a mistake on air it is there and you can never get rid of it.”

Fans of ‘BBC Breakfast’ will remember Bill’s biggest clanger came when he accidently dropped the C-bomb while live on air in 2015. 

When he announced he was stepping down from the show last September, Bill claimed he was quitting to spend more time with his “neglected bees”. 

“There is some sadness there, but no regrets,” he told The Mirror at the time. 

Since leaving the show, Bill has joined Classic FM, and continues to host ‘Songs Of Praise’ and ‘Think Tank’ on the BBC, as well as stepping in for Matt Baker on ‘The One Show’. 

‘BBC Breakfast’ airs daily from 6am on BBC One and BBC News.