Gabby Logan has revealed a stark comment from an early-career television executive that left her believing her time in broadcasting could be far more limited than it turned out to be.
The Misogynistic Remark That Shaped Her Career
The presenter said the comment, made when she was in her early twenties, created a sense of urgency that shaped the way she approached work for years afterwards. Looking back, Gabby described it as one of the most misogynistic things ever said to her in the industry.
Speaking on Hello's Second Act podcast, she revealed: "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."
"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."
Reflecting on Industry Attitudes
Reflecting on the attitudes she encountered during that period of her career, Gabby added: "Yeah, different days. Just being judged by different standards."
The broadcaster explained that the prediction weighed heavily on her, leaving her desperate to seize opportunities before what she believed was an approaching deadline. That pressure became so intense that her agent eventually urged her to slow down.
Gabby, now 53, said: "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."
Current Role at BBC
The comments come as Gabby is part of the BBC's coverage of this summer's World Cup. The Match of the Day presenter fronted the broadcaster's first live match of the tournament, Canada against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 12, and is among those who could present coverage of the final in New Jersey on July 19.
Gabby recently defended the BBC's decision to base much of its coverage from Salford rather than North America, arguing that the approach is financially sensible and does not diminish the viewing experience. This is unlike the ITV Sport team, which is based at the commercial broadcaster's New York studio throughout the tournament.
Gabby will present England's second group-stage match against Ghana tonight, June 23, on BBC One from 8pm.
