Gabby Logan to be awarded an ‘OBE or CBE’ in New Year honours list for her trail-blazing career as a sports presenter
TV star Gabby Logan will win an award in the New Year honours list, The Sun on Sunday can reveal.
Presenter Gabby, 46, will win an award in recognition of her trail-blazing career as one of the first women to regularly front sports shows on terrestrial TV.
Former international gymnast Gabby – who hosted London 2012 Olympic coverage and tonight presents BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year – is in line for an honour for services to broadcasting and charity.
A source said: “Gabby is one of the top names on the list this year and is likely to get an OBE or CBE.
“The list is being kept secret so not many people know about his yet.
“Her honour is likely to be for services to broadcasting and charity as she is linked to some high-profile charities.
“But she is being recognised mainly for her TV work, as she has helped remove the glass ceiling for women in the male-dominated world of sport.
‘SHEER HARD WORK AND PROFESSIONALISM’
“Gabby has worked for Sky, the BBC and ITV – and paved the way for the current crop of female sports presenters and pundits.
“She has done it through sheer hard work and professionalism and has also never been scared to speak out on big issues.
“This year’s Honours will be quite sport heavy as it has been a great year for British sports but Gabby is one of the top celebrities on the list – and rightly so.”
Gabby – Mum of twins with her ex Scotland rugby star husband Kenny Logan – shot to fame as a presenter on Sky Sports from 1996-1998.
She then moved over to ITV, where she presented several Champions League finals including Liverpool’s win over AC Milan in 2005.
Gabby started presenting for the BBC in 2007, and appeared on Strictly Come Dancing that year. She is now the main face of athletics for the Beeb and regularly hosts its London Marathon coverage.
Gabby also co-hosts Amazon Prime football show Back of the Net, with Peter Crouch and John Bishop.
‘WINDOW DRESSING’
In a 2013 interview, Gabby slammed Sky Sports for using glamorous women as “window dressing”.
She said: “The girls are basically wearing a leotard while the bloke’s in a suit and tie.”
And – speaking ahead of Sunday’s SPOTY, which she will front with Gary Lineker and Clare Balding – Gabby hit out at racism in football.
She said: “It has to be called out, every single time.
“We can’t rest on our laurels and think someone else is sorting it out.
“I think it is really, really sad. You think of racism in football in seventies and eighties and you would have thought we had gone past that now.
“It is so damaging – not just for the sport but also for society.”
And, speaking about women in sport, she added: “We have seen such a massive sea change in women’s football and rugby and other sports over recent years.
“I think London 2012 was a huge time for women’s sport in this country because on a whole women did better at winning medals than the men.
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“Women sport stars became household names and opened the door.
“There is always work to do and no one is resting on their laurels.”
Gabby – a Newcastle United fan – is patron of The Prince’s Trust, Great Ormond Street Hospital, The Disabilities Trust and the Newcastle United Foundation.
BEN’S SET TO SLOG RIVALS
Cricket ace Ben Stokes is the hot favourite to win BBC Sports Personality of the Year tonight.
Bookmaker Coral offered odds of 1-7 on the 28-year-old all-rounder.
Sprinter Dina Asher-Smith was second favourite at 12-1. F1’s Lewis Hamilton was 16-1.