Copyright walesonline
New Match of the Day presenter Gabby Logan has admitted that she expected her TV career to be short-lived. In January, Logan was confirmed as one of the three hosts, alongside Mark Chapman and Kelly Cates, to replace Gary Lineker ahead of the upcoming Premier League season. Logan has been a household name for decades through her work for ITV and BBC, covering World Cups, Olympic Games, Six Nations and many other iconic sporting events. However, Logan had not originally planned on a broadcast career, having represented Wales in rhythmic gymnastics at the 1990 Commonwealth Games and gained a law degree from Durham University. Logan's first step into the media world was as a presenter for Metro Radio in Newcastle . She then worked for Sky Sports and later joined ITV in 1998. The 52-year-old became a familiar face as the host of ITV's Champions League coverage, but she worried her TV career might be over after giving birth to twins Reuben and Lois in July 2005. However, Logan's fears were quickly allayed as she stayed with ITV until joining the BBC in December 2006. Two decades on from feeling that she may have to find a new job, the new Match of the Day host has reflected on how her career has continued to go from strength to strength. "Never actually working 9-5. But I really do love what I do and am enormously grateful I get to do it at the age and stage I am in my life," Logan wrote on Instagram. "I genuinely thought my TV career might last a decade. When I was 33 years old with tiny twins, I thought it was all over when I left ITV. "I was thinking I’d be quite good at doing up property or I’d go back to Uni and convert my law degree into an actual qualification. But the BBC gave me an opportunity and a second wind. "This was a wee snapshot of pictures from the last week and I guess the point of this post is ‘it ain’t over until it’s over’, keep believing, keep taking one step forward and that age gives you wisdom and confidence (as well as a few laughter lines). Have a beautiful day." Logan has led the TV coverage of numerous high-profile sporting events, but admitted to unexpectedly feeling nervous during her first Match of the Day episode this season, despite regularly stepping in for Lineker in the past. She praised the concept of alternating hosts after she was confirmed as one of Lineker's successors in January. "I think what's interesting is although we're sharing the role, we won't actually be working together on Match of the Day," she told the BBC. "It's really great to share it because we bring different experiences and different interests within the game. We bring different ways of broadcasting and that will mean our pundits are kept on their toes and share different kinds of analysis." As the daughter of Wales football legend Terry Yorath, Logan reflected on her earliest memories of the iconic show. "When my dad was playing, it was the only way you could watch football on TV because there were very few live matches," she recalled. "That music would play every Saturday night because he would come home from work - playing in a match - and watch his match on Match of the Day. As a very little girl, hearing that music meant I was staying up late on a Saturday night."
