I’m a celebrity: Chris Moyles says Nick Grimshaw’s takeover of his Radio 1 show was ‘managed so badly’

Chris Moyles has revealed the way his exit from the Radio 1 breakfast show in 2012 was handled made him “a little bit upset”.

Moyles ran the hugely popular BBC radio show for almost nine years – longer than any other presenter before or since – a total of 15 years at the station.

He was succeeded by Nick Grimshaw, who made way for Greg James in 2018.

Speaking to MP Matt Hancock further I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here On Monday night’s (November 14) episode, Moyles said his departure had been “managed so badly”.

“I knew that Radio 1 is an assembly line and you might stay there for a year or 15 years, but eventually you’re going to fall off the end,” he said.

Hancock asked: “Politics is like that. Did you know the end is coming? Did you leave happy or did you leave upset?

To which the DJ replied, “I left happy, I was a little bit upset after I left and I was upset…they handled it so badly, so badly. So I went in with my agent and the controller and we sat down and he said, ‘Look, this isn’t very easy, I think it’s about time we end the show. We will announce on the news at nine thirty that Nick Grimshaw is taking over.’

“My agent said, ‘This isn’t okay,’ and things got a little fuzzy. And I said, ‘Calm down both of you, stop it.’ I said to the boss, ‘You can’t do that.’”

Although not named, the head of Radio 1 at the time was Ben Cooper. The Independent has asked Radio 1 for comment.

Moyles went on to say that he tried to negotiate the announcement himself, but it was taken out of his hands and announced at 10.30am the next morning, shortly after Moyle’s show had finished, that Grimshaw would take over.

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“I was just like, ‘Ok, fine,'” Moyles said. “But they gave us three months to say goodbye, which was great. So I said, ‘You know, thanks for everything, Prost.’”

The host explained that after leaving Radio 1, he took a year off and rented a house in Los Angeles, where he met his now girlfriend, artist and talent manager, Tiffany Austin.

Speaking in the Bush Telegraph, Moyles added: “Once it was done doing the musical, doing my own tour and then meeting my future girlfriend – that’s when my life changed completely. So no regrets everyone happy it’s been a good trip so far.”

During his time in the jungle, Moyles has hinted that former Health Secretary Hancock is “not genuine” with his fellow contestants.

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i am a celebrity returns to ITV tomorrow night.