BBC and ITV star to retire from TV following cancer diagnosis
BBC and ITV sports broadcaster Steve Rider has shared that he plans to step away from TV this summer.
The 74-year-old is best known for hosting BBC sports show Grandstand, seeing him cover the lives of rugby, golf, motorsports and rowing.
Rider also presented Sportsnight and the Sports Personality of the Year award, along with hosting the BBC's coverage of every Olympic Games from 1988 until 2004.
In 2005, Rider left the BBC and moved to ITV, where he has since remained and has hosted coverage for Formula One and the World Cups for football and rugby.
The sports legend plans to conclude his 48-year-long broadcasting career this summer and plans for a low-key exit when he has his final job in front of the camera in June.
Speaking to the MailOnline, Rider said: 'I'll just slide away.'
Adding: 'The biggest emotion as you get into the last two minutes of something like that is, 'For God's sake, don't c**k it up,' because you'd be thinking about that for the next 20 years!
'I've probably outstayed my welcome. I've been hugely lucky with the places that the career has taken me. But it's close to 50 years now, so the cracks are showing!'
The sports broadcaster's exit follows his previously announced prostate cancer diagnosis, which he shared while appearing on BBC Breakfast.
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Rider shared that he was 'incredibly lucky' that the disease was found early, and he immediately had surgery to stop the cancer from spreading.
He got tested after a close friend was diagnosed with prostate cancer and after his own check-up results were a 'little high.'
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Rider said: 'They took one look and said, 'We're going to operate in two weeks'. No messing around. We did Brands Hatch for ITV on the Sunday and I had the operation on the Thursday, so it slotted into the schedule quite nicely!''
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