Gabby Logan has revealed a devastating comment from a television executive that made her believe her on-screen career had an expiry date. The BBC presenter, now 53, recalled how the remark, delivered when she was in her early twenties, instilled a frantic sense of urgency that influenced her work ethic for years.
Misogynistic Remark from Sky Boss
On Hello's Second Act podcast, Logan disclosed: 'One of the most misogynistic things that was ever said to me by one of my bosses at Sky, who told me I'd be off his screen by the time I was 28. And so at 24, I thought, my God, I better get everything done then, because I've only got four years of career. Thankfully, he was wrong.'
She added: 'But you can imagine the urgency that that instilled in me and how I felt like I literally thought if I could push it to 30. So it didn't matter how good you were going to get or how proficient at your job you were going to become, you were going to be cast aside. And there were blokes on the channel at the time who were in their 60s.'
Double Standards in Broadcasting
Reflecting on the double standards, Logan remarked: 'Yeah, different days. Just being judged by different standards.' The prediction hung over her, driving her to pursue every opportunity before what she feared was an inevitable cut-off point. The pressure mounted to such an extent that her agent advised her to slow down.
Logan recalled: 'Because I had this urgency going on, and I had an agent at the time who actually just stopped me one day and said, Look, you've just got to calm down. I'd be going, Have you had a phone call from so-and-so? I'd like to do this, I'd like to do that, and he'd just say, Just calm down. And you have to put that to one side and just trust the process.'
BBC World Cup Coverage
Logan is part of the BBC's coverage of this summer's World Cup. The Match of the Day host fronted the corporation's opening live fixture, Canada versus Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 12, and is among those who may present coverage of the final in New Jersey on July 19.
Logan has recently backed the BBC's choice to anchor much of its coverage from Salford instead of North America, maintaining that the strategy is economically sound and doesn't compromise the viewing experience. This contrasts with the ITV Sport team, which is stationed at the commercial broadcaster's New York studio for the duration of the tournament.
Logan will present England's second group-stage match against Ghana tonight, June 23, on BBC One from 8pm.
