Vanessa Feltz to present drivetime show on TalkTV - BBC News
The broadcaster, who will take on Jeremy Kyle's slot, says she is not ready for retirement yet.
Vanessa Feltz is an English TV and radio personality

Vanessa Feltz has announced she is to present a daily three-hour drivetime show on TalkTV from 5 September.

She will replace Jeremy Kyle, who is moving to a new primetime show.

Feltz revealed in July she was leaving her BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio London after almost 20 years.

"The allure of a retirement reclining on a chaise longue while the fragrant Ben (Ofoedu, her partner and Phats & Small singer) peeled me a grape was fleeting," she said online on Monday.

"While there are politicians to be tackled, fat cats to be flattened, scams to expose and lovely listeners to champion, it's my mission to breathe fire into the microphone."

"After an elegant sojourn at the BBC I am effervescent with joy at the invitation to unleash my hitherto hidden side on TalkTV."

TalkTV was launched in April by News UK and Feltz has appeared as a frequent panellist.

News UK broadcasting president Scott Taunton said he was "delighted" she had joined the team full-time as she was "not only a world-class broadcaster" but also "a national treasure".

"With no alarm clock needed, I'm sure our viewers and listeners will be getting the full force of Feltz," he continued.

In July, Feltz was one of only three women to feature in the top 10 on the list of the BBC's best-paid talent, earning upwards of £400,000.

On leaving the corporation she said she had "loved every moment" and would miss her "beloved" listeners and colleagues.

But, she said, she had had to step down "to catch up on a much needed decade's deficit of beauty sleep".