Paul Ross to take time off BBC show after affair with man
By Sam Rigby
Paul Ross is expected to take a month away from his BBC London 94.9 Breakfast Show in the light of recent revelations about his personal life.
Over the weekend, the TV and radio presenter revealed that he had a year-long affair with a man, and also spoke about his addiction to the drug ephedrine, also known as “meow meow”.
Ross, 57, the older brother of Jonathan Ross, embarked on an affair with Barry Olivier, a former teacher, after they met at a dogging spot near his home in Maidenhead, Berkshire.
A BBC representative confirmed that Ross would not be on air today (September 1) following his tell-all interview with yesterday’s issue of The Sun on Sunday.
The statement read: “Paul has spoken about his personal problems at length. He will be taking some time off to deal with those issues and won’t be on air on Monday.”
However, it hasn’t been confirmed if Ross will face disciplinary action from the BBC over his drug use.
Speaking about his affair in The Sun on Sunday, Ross said: “I tried this stuff and then we had sex and it was just incredibly intense. It was all about the drugs. It was a dependency that got worse and worse – and I was then doing five or six lines of it.”
Ross’s wife Jackie, whom he married in 2004, has vowed to stand by her husband, insisting that she doesn’t see the affair as a gay relationship because it was fuelled by drugs.
Paul Ross currently hosts the BBC London 94.9 Breakfast Show alongside former GMTV presenter Penny Smith. He also makes regular TV appearances on This Morning and The Alan Titchmarsh Show.