Tim Lovejoy once risked the wrath of the Soccer AM faithful when he came close to sacking Helen Chamberlain.
The beloved Sky Sports duo always appeared be thick as thieves, boasting the kind of on-screen chemistry others could only dream of. However, Chamberlain has revealed things perhaps weren’t always as rosy as they might have appeared to viewers.
Torquay United fan Chamberlain made her Soccer AM debut in 1995 and spent 22 years presenting the show before taking her leave in 2017. And although her tenure on the orange sofa was more than a decade longer than Lovejoy’s, it was the male half of that partnership that almost split them up.
The pair were able to laugh at the close call after Chamberlain lifted the lid on the Soccer A-Z podcast. Fellow Soccer AM alumni Robbie Knox, Joe Worsley and Neil Smythe appeared on the show and recounted their various experiences being moved into different roles on the former Sky staple.
“He [Lovejoy] offered the job to someone else before me,” said former producer Knox in an offended tone. “I went for an interview, you offered it to someone else. They couldn’t start in time, so I got the job. I’m only here because someone else couldn’t get out of their previous job.
“He was gonna sack me!” interjected Chamberlain. “Don’t you remember? He took over Soccer AM, first thing on his list: ‘Don’t need her, she doesn’t do anything!'”
The TV veteran clearly hasn’t held a grudge considering she and Lovejoy have gone down in football broadcasting fame as one of the greatest duos of all time. And the latter could only agree as he verified her account.
“That is true,” said the 56-year-old host with a grin. “But it turned out Helen was brilliant!”
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Joel Ryan/PA)
Lovejoy went on to praise his other former colleagues for their contributions in roles they inadvertently found themselves in. And rightly so considering Soccer AM represented the pinnacle of football satire on British for so many years.
Following her exit from the show in 2017, Chamberlain took a break from presenting to work on her farm, which she still maintains today. However, she’s also since returned to broadcasting and fronted coverage for the World Seniors Darts Championship on TNT Sports in recent years.
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Source: https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/helen-chamberlain-tim-lovejoy-socceram-34022246
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