Simon Mayo, 60, was the voice of BBC Radio 2’s Drivetime programme for eight years but stepped down after co-hosting alongside Jo Whiley, 53, for a few months.
Their two radio shows were merged together with them both sharing the afternoon slot.
Simon has now spoken out about his exit from the broadcast, which he had been a part of for 36 years.
“It was an awkward, stressful few months,” he told Radio Times.
The star also revealed he got told about the change to his Drivetime show over the phone.
Recalling the conversation with his agent, Simon said he got told “co-presenting is the future”.
“I was concerned that they’d pluck a co-presenter out of a bag somewhere, and I said it needed to be Jo,” he spilled.
“I’ve known her for a long time, and our families had been on holiday together.”
The radio favourite added: “Jo and I worked very hard to make that show as good as it could be.”
Meanwhile, Simon will still be featuring on his BBC Radio 5 Live show and has also been signed up to present on new digital station, Scala.
Simon will host from 10am to 1pm during the week and said it’s his chance to “get back on the radio and be a part of people’s loves again”.
The author appears very excited to begin his new venture and recently spoke about when he will be back on air.
He told his 266,000 followers on Twitter on Sunday: “Good morning. In case you’ve been waiting. And in case you need it.
“Confessions will be back on your radio in March on @ScalaRadio and here’s the email [email protected] Getting closer!”
Shortly after the news of Simon’s departure, it was announced Sara Cox, 44, would be taking over.
The star will be presenting the 5pm to 8pm slot, after she lost out to Zoe Ball, 48, to host the breakfast programme.
Elsewhere, Jo has taken on a new role in light of Simon’s exit, presenting a 7pm to 9pm show since January.
She will continue to present the Radio 2 In Concert series and will also be standing in for Ken Bruce in 2019.
The full interview with Simon Mayo can be found in the latest issue of Radio Times, out now.