Vernon Kay broke down in tears as he paid tribute to his late colleague Steve Wright at the end of his BBC Radio 2 show on Wednesday. The presenter had dedicated his programme to the legendary host, who died aged 69 on Tuesday.
At the start of the show, Kay told listeners he wanted to keep a smile on his face, saying: 'I am not going to get down about it because that's what Steve would have wanted. He'd have wanted us to celebrate.' However, as he handed over to the BBC Concert Orchestra playing Wright's iconic theme tune, Kay's voice broke and he struggled to speak.
Following the tribute, Jeremy Vine, who took over the slot, paused for a long moment before saying: 'I don't know what to say or do in response to that, thank you. Are you still there Vernon? You okay my friend?' When there was no reply, Vine continued: 'This is a really strange day here at Radio 2. So if we sound a little bit off the pace and just immersed in this thing, it is just a bit too big for us to be honest.' Vine later sobbed as he took listeners' calls about their memories of Wright.
Earlier, Nicki Chapman, standing in for Zoe Ball on the Breakfast Show, also broke down in tears as she read tributes from fans. She said: 'It is so difficult to sum up what Steve meant to all of us. The devastatingly sad news has come as a complete shock.'
