Gary Lineker has used his National Television Awards win to take a pointed dig at the BBC, declaring it is 'OK to speak up on behalf of those who have no voice'. The former Match of the Day presenter, 64, ended Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly's 23-year winning streak in the Best TV Presenter category at Wednesday's ceremony.
Accepting the award at London's O2 Arena, an emotional Lineker referenced his controversial departure from the BBC earlier this year. He said: 'It's not lost on me why I might have won this award.' He added: 'I think it demonstrates that perhaps it's OK sometimes to use our platform to speak up on behalf of those who have no voice.'
Lineker left Match of the Day in May after sharing a pro-Palestine Instagram video about Zionism featuring a rat emoji, which has anti-Semitic connotations. He apologised but said it was 'best for all concerned' if he left completely. In the winners' room, he reiterated that the win was symbolic of the importance of speaking out in support of Gaza, calling the repost a 'mistake'.
The football legend, who was the BBC's highest-paid presenter on £1.35million a year, had hosted the iconic show for 26 years. He joked that he had won the 'Ant and Dec award' and quipped that he had predicted the duo would win every year until Newcastle United won a trophy.
