Chris Tarrant admits 'I just couldn't stand it' as he addresses retirement
At the end of last year, broadcaster Chris Tarrant announced his retirement from television following an impressive 52-year career on-air.
His television debut came in 1972 as a newsreader for ATV Today. Yet most viewers will recognise Chris from his lengthy stint hosting the gameshow Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Chris fronted the beloved programme for 16 years, launching with its first episode in 1998 before choosing to depart in 2014.
During Tuesday's edition of Good Morning Britain, the 78-year-old chatted with hosts Charlotte Hawkins and Richard Madeley regarding his choice to withdraw from the entertainment industry.
Charlotte enquired: "A lot of people will be thinking, 'Well, hold on, we haven't seen Chris Tarrant on TV for ages!', Why is that?"
He responded: "I used to work like a dog, for years. I lost five really good mates, my sort of age, over about 12 months. I just thought, well, you know, I'm about the same age, I've worked very hard all my life.
"I thought, do I really want to spend the rest of my life, whether that's a year, 10 years, 20 years or whatever, do I want to spend it in radio studios and TV studios? No, I don't. So I just pop in now to plug my book and then go home again."
The 78-year-old informed the two hosts that he now leads a 'really nice' existence and is thoroughly enjoying it, reports the Mirror.
Richard highlighted that Chris often gets incited to take part in reality shows, curious to know whether or not people would ever see him on one.
When Charlotte suggested he join the I'm A Celeb line-up, Chris firmly disagreed with the idea.
His response was firm as he commented: "No, I really wouldn't. I just couldn't stand it, I really couldn't. I don't want to lie with my head covered in maggots and them going down my trousers, no thanks."
As the interview began to wind down, Richard told Chris that viewers miss his presence on television, while Charlotte teased her co-star about a name confusion incident during his appearance on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
She revealed: "You (Richard) kept calling Jeremy (Clarkson) Chris by mistake! So there you go, that's how much he missed you."
Chris responded with: "When you do a show like that, one of the briefings, know the name of the host! It's very important."
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