Barker hit out at the BBC, saying that they wanted her to say that she was stepping down by choice, when in fact the presenter was being replaced as part of a "refresh". Barker stepped down as host of the tennis tournament Wimbledon earlier this year.
"It is such a shame because, I have to say, that the BBC had told us we were going", Barker said. "They wanted to refresh the programme and that is absolutely fine. Everyone has the right to do that. We don't own the programme".
"I had had 24 amazing years working with the most incredible people", she continued. So we knew it was going to happen and it was just the way in which it happened and the way it was handled, and the way the BBC sort of wanted me to say that I was walking away from it".
"And yet, I would never walk away from a job I love. I don’t mind being replaced. Absolutely fine. That happens. But it was just the way it was handled".
"I think we regret the way it was handled. I think if we look back on it we could have handled it better. I think the BBC could have handled it better".
"It is just such a shame because I loved it. And I don’t look back on it badly just because of a couple of bad days and then some negative publicity, which I think affected quite a lot of people".
