BBC Radio 5Live is said to be in “total chaos” over a falling out from two presenters.
According to reports, Clare McDonnell and Tony Livesey are said to be in a row after an email was accidentally sent to the wrong person. As a result, the pair are now at loggerheads with each other, with producers rushing to try and fix the issue.
The Sun claims that the pair have been at each other’s throats after an alleged email was sent by Tony about his co-host’s presenting abilities. In the email, it is reported that Tony, 60, did not hold back, but accidentally sent it to Clare instead of the original recipient.
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Both Tony and Clare, 57, have been staples of 5Live’s weekday programme for years, having taken on the show together since February of 2022. Providing lively debate on some of the biggest stories of the day on their drivetime show, the pair have never been known to hold back on their true feelings.
However, with the revelation of the email, both parties are now refusing to work with each other, with a source saying that Clare has been left “livid” by the email which was “slagging her off”. The source told the newspaper that BBC bosses are now at panic stations.
“She no longer wants to work with him and that has caused total chaos at the station,” the source claimed. “People are being shifted all over the shop and into different slots, which isn’t going down well.”
The source went on to sympathise with Clare, saying that she was “well within her right” to be miffed at the email, but “it’s made the atmosphere at Live really frosty”. They finished by branding the work environment at 5Live a “nightmare”.
In an effort to maintain stability, both Clare and Tom have not been presenting the show together; rather, they have been alternating shows, with Johnny l’Anso working with Clare on Monday and Tuesday. Tony then took the reins, working with fellow broadcaster Leila Nathoo on Wednesday and Thursday.
The email has only cemented Tony’s exit from the drivetime show he had been hosting with his former on-air partner, as he gears up to move back to his late night show in December. He will be taking up the 10pm-1am slot on the schedule, a post he initially had when he joined the station back in 2010.
(Image: BBC)
As Tony prepares to leave his drivetime show behind, he is set to be replaced by BBC stalwart Chris Warburton. Chris has had years of experience at the station, taking control of the Weekend Breakfast show for a decade.
Clare herself is not set to be leaving the slot any time soon, as the insider added that Clare was happy that bosses were able to take her criticism of the email onboard. The source also said that she thinks Tony “got exactly what he deserves” by leaving the show.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
