BBC presenter Sally Magnusson became emotional during her final broadcast for the channel as a highlights reel from her 27 years on Reporting Scotland was shown. The 69-year-old journalist and author stepped down from the programme after more than two decades. “I thought I’d be all right, but I’ve been absolutely overwhelmed today by how nice everybody’s been and surprises like this. Honestly, I’ll miss you all. I’ll miss the connection with the audience that it’s such a privilege to have had all these years, I’ll miss the newsroom, the buzz of the newsroom and the camaraderie. I’ll miss it all,” she said.
Asked what she was going to do following her departure she indicated she plans to keep busy with more novels on the horizon. The star has already penned successful tomes such as Music In The Dark and The Ninth Child. “I’m hoping to write more books, research them. I’m hoping to carry on doing the events and the conferences I chair and so on.
“And I’m hoping to be a peripatetic grandmother all over the UK, seeing all the sort of exploding grandchildren have appeared all the years,” the grandmother of five said. Signing off her final report she said: “From me for the last time, goodbye.”
Sally revealed she was quitting the show at the beginning of the year. In a statement, she said: “Leaving Reporting Scotland will be a real wrench after 27 years.
“I’ll miss the buzz and challenges of live news presentation, which I’ve always adored.
“But although my focus now turns to a growing writing career, an expanding family, and my work around dementia, I’m also looking forward to maintaining links with the BBC as a freelance broadcaster.”
