Chris Tarrant's shares heart-breaking reason for stepping back from showbiz
Chris Tarrant revealed why he quit showbiz after 52 years in 2024 on Tuesday's (15.07.25) episode of ITV1's Good Morning Britain.
Chris Tarrant quit showbiz because he worked "like a dog for years" and five of his friends died "over about 12 months".
The 78-year-old broadcaster's illustrious TV career began in 1972 when he was a newsreader for ATV Today, and most people remember the star for fronting Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? from 1998 until 2014.
However, at the end of 2024, he decided to retire after 52 years on air.
On Tuesday's (15.07.25) episode of Good Morning Britain, presenter Charlotte Hawkins, 50, asked Chris: "A lot of people will be thinking, 'Well, hold on, we haven't seen Chris Tarrant on TV for ages!', Why is that?"
Replying to Charlotte and her co-star Richard Madeley, 69, Chris explained: "I used to work like a dog, for years. I lost five really good mates, my sort of age, over about 12 months. I just thought, well, you know, I'm about the same age, I've worked very hard all my life.
"I thought, do I really want to spend the rest of my life, whether that's a year, 10 years, 20 years or whatever, do I want to spend it in radio studios and TV studios? No, I don't. So I just pop in now to plug my book and then go home again."
Tarrant told the anchors of the ITV1 morning news programme that he loves his "really nice" life now.
He added: "I enjoyed working, but now I have a really good time!"
Richard mentioned that Chris gets asked to take part in reality TV shows, and was curious to know if people would one day see him do one.
Charlotte asked the former broadcaster if he would consider going to Australia to do I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!, but Chris said no.
He replied: "No, I really wouldn't. I just couldn't stand it, I really couldn't. I don't want to lie with my head covered in maggots and them going down my trousers, no thanks."
Richard appeared on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? - which Jeremy Clarkson, 65, has presented since 2018 - and he won £125,000, after setting his safety net at £32,000.
And Charlotte outed her fellow journalist - who misses seeing Chris on TV screens - for mixing up Jeremy and Chris' names.
She said: "You kept calling Jeremy Chris by mistake! So there you go, that's how much he missed you."
Chris replied: "When you do a show like that, one of the briefings, know the name of the host! It's very important."
