Chris Tarrant's heartbreaking reason he quit TV career
The retired presenter had a 52-year-long career on TV and is best known for his role in Tiswas from 1974 to 1981, as well as hosting Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? from 1998 until 2014.
In the late 2010s, Tarrant began to step away from regular TV and no longer hosted shows. After the coronavirus pandemic, he was rarely seen on screens.
Now, in a new interview with the MailOnline, Tarrant has shared the real reason he decided to retire from TV.
Speaking to the MailOnline, Tarrant said: '52 years is a long time on air. I loved what I did.
'I had a really good time.
"But I went to the funerals of five really good mates, who were about the same age as me, and I thought, 'I don't know how long I've got left in life, but I don't want to spend it locked away in a studio'."
The TV star added that he did consider leaving TV in 2014 after he suffered a mini-stroke that resulted in him needing speech therapy.
Telling MailOnline: 'I had a lucky escape. I can chat to you now, [my body] is working. But I did have to have speech therapy. It took a while to get everything back. It was scary."
In 2020, Tarrant spoke to the Mirror on why he wanted to step down from TV, sharing that he didn't need the money and wanted more time with his family.
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Sharing: 'I've stopped working. Lockdown started to get everything in a bit perspective and I thought, 'I've done this thing for 50 years. I don't need the money'.
"Without sounding silly, why am I still doing this? I've done lots of things that I've been putting off instead that have been great.
"I went on safari with my two eldest grandkids. [Wife] Jane and I have just come back from Borneo. I've just come back from photographing bears in Alaska. Why the hell would I go for work for?"
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