ALLY MCCOIST has paid a touching tribute to Sue Barker as she prepares to depart the BBC after 30 years of service.
Barker bid a tearful farewell to Wimbledon after 30 years of presenting coverage of the tennis event for the BBC, calling it an “absolute privilege”.
Before becoming a presenter, Barker, 66, was a professional tennis player and achieved a Grand Slam singles title after winning the French Open in 1976.
To mark Barker stepping down from her role fronting the annual sporting showpiece, commentator and former Wimbledon champion John McEnroe introduced a film of Barker’s highlights, both as a player and a presenter.
During the film many famous faces from the tennis world and further afield in sport sent their well wishes to Barker.
McCoist paid his own special tribute on talkSPORT after working alongside Barker on Question of Sport.
He said: "She's the best, she really is. She's the greatest.
"The fact of the matter is, the general public absolutely adore her as they should because she's been absolutely tremendous, first-class.
"A great broadcaster who obviously knows her stuff.
"When you get people like Federer, Billie Jean King and all those guys paying tribute - it'll mean as much to her getting tributes from people like that as it would the general public.
"She's one of these broadcasters where you watch her eon the TV, you grow up with her and it's as if she's part of the family, sitting in the living room with you.
"That's the biggest compliment I can give her.
"She's brilliant, a great girl, man."
