Vanessa Feltz has taken aim at the BBC after they 'ousted' iconic broadcaster Ken Bruce following his departure from the station.
The BBC, which has recently been embroiled in scandal following their suspension of Gary Lineker, was attacked by Vanessa in a scathing rant. This comes after Ken announced he would be finishing up his stint with Radio 2 earlier than he anticipated after being instructed to by BBC bosses.
Vanessa, 61, hit out at her former workplace and slammed the network as 'discourteous and disrespectful' following their treatment of Ken. Scots presenter Ken will be replaced next month on Radio 2 by Vernon Kay, before taking on his new role on Greatest Hits Radio.
“After this incredibly long and amazingly distinguished career, to oust Ken Bruce two or three weeks before he was expecting to go and before his contract had actually played itself out, I thought that was incredibly discourteous and disrespectful and unnecessary," Vanessa told the Daily Express.
“What was the point of it? Why would you do that? Why would you leave yourselves open to criticism? Bad manners, lack of gratitude, lack of respect. It was an absolutely extraordinary decision and I think Ken must have been upset by it because he wouldn’t have mentioned it."
She continued: “I think it must have hurt his feelings terribly. Why on earth would you want to hurt the feelings of a person who consistently over a period of 30-odd years has delivered more listeners than any other broadcaster in the entire country?
“Why would you not want him to serve out every last second of his contract and bless his name for doing that?"
"Absolutely bewildering, I do not get that at all," she concluded.
Ken announced he was leaving BBC Radio 2 in January, telling listeners it was "time for a change". He said: "It's been a tremendously happy time for me: I've made many friends and worked with many wonderful colleagues. However, I feel that after 45 years of full-time broadcasting on BBC Radio, it's time for a change."
On his final radio show with the broadcaster, he gave an emotional farewell to listeners thanking them for their support over the years. He said: "Thank you so much, and may we meet again somewhere.
"Thank you to everybody who has contributed in any small way to this programme, particularly the listeners. I really couldn't do it without the listeners, who contribute and complete the dialogue. We talk to each other on a daily basis, and I hope sometime in the future we may be able to continue doing that."
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