A touching tribute from Ally McCoist moved Laura Woods to tears after she announced her departure from talkSPORT.
Woods, 35, will leave her role as host of the radio station's breakfast show later this month, having already been tipped to replace Jake Humphrey as BT Sport's lead presenter once the broadcaster is rebranded as TNT Sports. Live on air, the Arsenal fan issued an emotional statement before McCoist, her regular partner in a morning, offered some kind words.
"I know I speak for everyone through that window over there and all the listeners, Laura, it has been an absolute pleasure," the Rangers legend declared on Wednesday morning. "I cannot tell you how much I've loved it. I've loved it from start to finish. I love you dearly, I know everyone behind that window loves you dearly.
"You've been an absolute breath of fresh air. You've made me feel 18 again in the nicest possible way and then on a Thursday I feel 84 when I'm working with [Alan] Brazil. But you made me feel 18 [again]. There was an inevitability about it, dare I say it, because we all knew you were going to other places and you were going to keep moving in a northerly direction."
Woods began to tear up as McCoist gave his gratitude, with Wednesday, June 28 marking the end of her three-year stint. Announcing her exit, the presenter - who also works for ITV, DAZN and Amazon Prime Video - said: "It's been, genuinely, the hardest decision of my life. I really don't say that lightly.
"For now, no more 3am alarms, which is just wonderful. But one thing is for sure is that I wanted to make you know that I'll always be a part of this family. I will pop back whenever I can. I adore you all. Thank you.
"I'm going to have a holiday, a long sleep and I'll make a decision on what's next for me. So again, I can't say it enough, thank you. Thank you, everyone, for having me. I'll really miss you."
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BT Sport, where we could next see Woods working after leaving talkSPORT, is undergoing a rebrand this month after going into a partnership with global mass media conglomerate Warner Bros Discovery. Set to arrive in the UK and Ireland at the start of July, TNT Sports is already a familiar brand to sports fans Latin America, as it's the home of top-level domestic and European football.
"The TNT Sports name is already synonymous with premium live sports in a number of countries around the world and a further sign of the global scale and expertise that WBD brings to the partnership with BT," Andrew Georgiou, managing director of WBD Sports Europe, explained.
