Radio 4 listeners have been left ‘devastated’ after Jane Garvey announced she is quitting Woman’s Hour weeks after Dame Jenni Murray said she was leaving the show.
Garvey, 56, will leave at the end of the year and will host her own interview series on BBC Radio 4 in 2021.
She has presented Woman’s Hour for 13 years and has interviews some of the world’s biggest stars.
After the announcement she was asked if her departure was related to the show trying to capture a younger audience.
She replied to the fan on Twitter: ‘I am leaving partly because it would be much much easier to stay.
Jane Garvey has announced she is quitting Woman’s Hour after 13 years at the helm
‘Woman’s Hour will always have an ally in me. But it’s good to refresh.’
Fans of the show responded on social media expressing their disappointment at the popular presenter was leaving the show.
Mary Hoffman said: ‘Nooo! I’m devastated. You are my favourite radio 4 presenter and of course I shall listen to your new programme but I might have to give up Woman’s Hour after a 45 year habit. Good luck though.’
Pen Thompson wrote: ‘Oh no ! Losing Jenni Murray and Jane Garvey from Women’s Hour – this is an end of an era (not in a good way) and I’m very sad.’
Another added: ‘Will miss Jane Garvey on Woman’s Hour. Best presenter ever and I listened at my mothers knee in the fifties so I’ve heard them all.
‘Look forward to what you do next Jane.’
Dianne Rossi said: ‘Just shouted “Jane Garvey. No not you too!”.
‘Can’t believe you’re both leaving Woman’s Hour but hope it’s to move in a positive direction. I’ll listen to you wherever you are. Wishing you the very best for the future.’
Anna Harvey wrote: ‘Nooooo! I absolutely love Jane Garvey. Her voice is the most soothing, yet entertaining, on Radio 4.
‘In my opinion she holds joint first place with the voice of Paddy O’Connell. Where is she going?’
Earlier the broadcaster said in a statement: ‘It’s been a real privilege to play a small part in the history of this very special radio programme.
‘On one unforgettable day, I interviewed David Cameron in the morning, and Mary J Blige in the afternoon. There’s no other job like it.
‘But famous people are not the reason people engage with Woman’s Hour. It’s because the programme still talks about the subjects and challenges no-one else goes near.
‘I’m very proud of our relationship with the audience and the trust they place in us.’
Mohit Bakaya, controller of Radio 4, said: ‘When it comes to the art of radio presenting there are few that can match the brilliance of Jane Garvey.
Woman’s Hour’s Jane Garvey and Jenni Murray are both leaving the Radio 4 programme
Roll with it: What was Garvey’s Arctic row?
The Arctic Roll sparked the bizarre row
Jane Garvey was called a snob and forced to apologise before the end of BBC Woman’s Hour, after angering listeners by calling Arctic roll a ‘low-level pudding’.
The Merseyside-born presenter, 55, sparked fury with her comments made while talking to comic Jayde Adams, who had revealed that when she would impersonate singer Adele she used to changed the chorus of Skyfall to ‘Trifle, crumble and Arctic Roll’.
‘Anything with Arctic roll is funny. It’s a real.. and I don’t mean to be offensive.. but it’s a low-level pudding,’ responded Jane.
Many people were unimpressed with her views of the traditional British treat, which consists of vanilla ice-cream that has been wrapped in a thin sponge cake with jam.
She said at the end of the show: ‘Brief mention in apology corner to the regular purchasers and people who enjoy Arctic Roll.
‘To be honest with you, I don’t like Arctic Roll but I’m certainly not snobby about it. I do apologise if you are a big, big fan of Arctic Roll.’
‘And whilst I understand that she feels it is time to move on after a terrific 13 years presenting Woman’s Hour, I am thrilled that she will stay on the network.’
Garvey will be ‘presenting her own interview series, as well as becoming a regular late-night fixture, along with Fi Glover’, with their Fortunately podcast arriving on the Radio 4 schedule.
Dame Jenni announced at the end of July that she was leaving the Radio 4 show after more than three decades. Her last programme will be on October 1.
The 70-year-old is the longest-serving presenter in the show’s 74-year history.
The BBC said new presenters will be announced in due course.
It has decided to fill the vacancies with two new presenters.
Garvey is believed to have decided to leave before Dame Jenni announced her departure.
The broadcaster, the first voice on Radio 5 Live when it was launched in 1994, revealed the news to her listeners on Friday morning, saying: ‘Is there anything worse than a personal statement from a radio presenter? No, not really, but I’m afraid you are about to hear one.
‘I have loved presenting Woman’s Hour, it has been a tremendous privilege, but I have decided to leave the programme at the end of the year.
‘I’m not leaving Radio 4. I’m going to be doing a new interview programme, starting in April of next year and, if you are a listener to the Fortunately podcast with me and Fi Glover, somehow or other that is being allowed to stagger on to the Radio 4 late-night schedule, so that will be coming to Radio 4 in the new year as well.’
She added: ‘No time to get maudlin … we can do that in late December.’
Garvey, who irked some listeners earlier this year and was accused of being ‘snobby’ when she called Arctic Rolls a ‘low-level pudding’, quipped on Twitter that ‘No, it wasn’t the bloody Arctic Roll thing that did for me in the end.
‘Thanks for all the comments. Especially the one that said I was way too opinionated, and a man should take over BBC Woman’s Hour immediately.’