Jordan North breaks silence after shock Radio One departure

The BBC announced that North will be leaving Radio One after 10 years at the station.

Taking to Instagram, North paid tribute to his "friends for life" and said he will miss being on air with them "every day".

"I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank all my wonderful colleagues / talented producers at Radio 1 who many I consider to be friends for life and will miss greatly, you’ve all reached out to me over the past 24 hours and it really has meant a lot," he started.

"To my amazing fellow presenters I wish I could thank you all personally, I’ve loved working with you it’s been an absolute blast! Big love to Katie Thisleton, Greg James, Arielle Free, Ricky, Melvin & Charlie, Dean & Vicky, Clara Amfo, Matt & Molly, Scott Mills, Grimmy, all the rest of you fantastic lot, and of course my partner in crime Vick Hope…I’ll miss being on air with you every day. 

"MOST IMPORTANTLY the biggest of thank yous to the fantastic listeners who have been really generous and always made me feel welcome, your kind words & messages have been so lovely, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

"I’ll be back soon, and can’t wait to see you all again."

The 34-year-old currently co-hosts the Radio 1 drivetime show with Vick Hope from 15:30-18:00 Monday to Thursdays.

In a statement, Radio 1 said the much-loved presenter had been a "constant source of inspiration."

They wrote: "Radio 1 will be saying goodbye to Jordan North.

"Jordan has been behind some of the most hilarious and entertaining moments on air over the years, and has been a constant source of inspiration for younger presenters.

"Thank you for everything."

He will be replaced by Made in Chelsea star Jamie Laing on March 4, the BBC announced on Friday.

Speaking about taking over from North, Laing said it was "an absolute dream."

"I've loved every minute that I've been on air with Radio 1 in recent years, so to be joining Vick on Drivetime is just incredible," he says.

"I'm beyond excited to get started and keep listeners company on their journeys home."

He has previously presented on the station, most notably when he replaced Mollie King whilst she was on maternity leave.

Paying tribute to North's contribution to Radio 1, head of the station Aled Jones said he had been "an amazing presenter and a valued colleague at Radio 1, and I'm so proud of his journey with us."

He continued: "He has always connected with the Radio 1 audience through his shows and projects, as witnessed by the huge amount of money raised for Comic Relief during his rowing trip from London to Burnley."

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