Former Match Of The Day presenter Gary Lineker has gained one of the best TV presenter prize on the Nationwide Tv Awards – months after he left the BBC following an antisemitism row.
Lineker, 64, apologised “unreservedly” in Could after he shared a submit on Instagram about Zionism which featured a picture of a rat – a logo used to characterize Jewish folks in antisemitic propaganda, together with in Nazi Germany.
The previous England footballer stated in an announcement that he would “never knowingly share anything antisemitic” and that he eliminated the submit when he “became aware of the issue”.
He introduced he was leaving the BBC days later, saying that “stepping back now feels like the responsible course of action”.
Lineker had introduced Match Of The Day since 1999 and was the BBC’s highest-paid on-air expertise when he stepped down.
Previous to the antisemitism row in Could, Lineker already had a status for sharing political opinions on social media – one thing which went in opposition to the BBC’s impartiality guidelines.
This included posts about Tory migrant coverage, Brexit, Qatar’s human rights document and a documentary about Gaza.
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Lineker’s farewell to Match Of The Day
Amassing his “TV Presenter Of The Year” award final night time, Lineker stated: “I think it demonstrates that perhaps it’s OK sometimes for us to use our platform to speak up on behalf of those who have no voice.”
Lineker’s win on the Nationwide Tv Awards additionally ended Ant and Dec’s 23-year streak in scooping one of the best presenter prize.
Talking on the winners’ press convention after the ceremony, the previous Match Of The Day host stated the presenting duo, whose actual names are Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, are “brilliant” and that “it’s an honour to follow in their footsteps”.
Reflecting on life after presenting Match Of The Day, Lineker added: “I’m doing great. I’m enjoying having weekends off for the first time in my adult life, which has been great fun.
“I am nonetheless watching a great deal of soccer, nonetheless doing the identical form of issues, and I’ve bought a brand new present developing for ITV, which I begin filming subsequent week – The Field, which matches out, I feel, most likely subsequent 12 months.”
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Lineker requested if he was ‘pressured to give up’
Requested if the award proves he has not been cancelled, he stated: “I don’t think anyone seriously thought that I was cancelled at any point.
“It was clearly only a mistake and oversight. And I feel everybody noticed it for that.
“So I was never in the slightest bit concerned for that.”
The previous footballer additionally beat competitors from The Traitors host Claudia Winkleman, This Morning’s Alison Hammond and TV presenter and actuality star Stacey Solomon to win one of the best presenter prize.
