Gabby Logan says Mark Chapman was ‘really paranoid’ about the news being leaked (Image: GETTY)
has revealed that was ‘really paranoid’ about their presenting roles being leaked before the news was officially announced. The pair will team up with Kelly Cates to host the ‘s flagship highlights show when steps down at the end of the season.
The news was confirmed to the public in January, ending months of speculation about who would take on the prestigious hosting role. Logan has admitted that she and her fellow presenters went to great lengths to keep it under wraps until the big reveal. She created a group chat on with her co-hosts and was forced to turn on disappearing messages, with Chapman petrified that leaks would ruin the surprise.
Logan will form one-third of the new presenting team from next season onwards (Image: GETTY)
Speaking on the podcast, Logan said: “I didn’t even tell my mum. I set up a group chat and called it ‘The Match of the Day three’ and there were disappearing messages as Chappers was really paranoid about this. The only person I told was Kenny [her husband].”
Quizzed on how Match of the Day will differ in its post-Lineker era, Logan insisted that no substantial changes will be made to the existing format which has been so successful over the years.
“Nobody wants to throw the baby out with the bath water,” she added. “It’s a football highlights show. We’ve got the same kind of pundits and it’s all about the football.”
Logan is already one of the ‘s senior presenters, having fronted live coverage of the and for many years. She also hails from a sporting background as the daughter of former Wales player and manager Terry Yorath.
This season, the 51-year-old has been co-presenting the ‘s all-new highlights programme, giving her a taste of what it might be like to host Match of the Day.
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As a trailblazer for women in the sport media industry, Logan has noticed a ‘completely different landscape’ in the present day compared to when she first started out.
“There are now so many great male and female broadcasters, but also so many more females working in sports, not just in front of the camera or the microphone but also behind the scenes,” she explained.
“It’s like any business, if you say we have a 50/50 male and female split but all the women are doing the low paid jobs, that’s not 50/50. That’s a hierarchy that’s male-dominated.
“It’s been really good development to hear women’s voices in your ears and hearing them say they’re the director which is great. Hopefully it’s a better environment than when we were starting out. It’s definitely a much more positive place generally.”