Dublin-born DJ Annie Mac is to leave BBC Radio 1 in July after 17 years, saying that she wants to spend more time with her two children, writing fiction and podcasting.
The Irish presenter, who also co-hosted RTÉ music series Other Voices, will publish her first novel, Mother Mother in May and will continue to host her Changes with Annie MacManus podcast, which sees her interview creatives about changes in their personal and professional lives.
We need your consent to load this Instagram contentWe use Instagram to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
Macmanus (42), who is from Dundrum in Dublin and studied English literature at Queen's University Belfast, joined the BBC as a production assistant in 2002 and fronted her first show, Annie Mac's Mash-Up in 2004. More recently she has hosted Future Sounds on the station on weekdays between 6.00pm and 8.00pm, and a dance-music Friday-night show.
Mac told her followers on Twitter and Instagram that it was "hard to articulate what this job has meant to me".
"I’m still in awe of the magic of music radio," she said. "Of the responsibility of handling these songs that are so powerful they can stop you in your tracks and make your emotions soar. I have never not walked out of the studio feeling lighter and happier than when I walked in."
She said: "I also love the idea of leaving the party (and make no mistake working at Radio 1 does feel like a party) with a huge smile on my face, when I'm still having the most fun I can have.
"I will be coming back to radio broadcasting when the time is right". She thanked listeners for "allowing me into your lives. Thank you for brightening my days."
In a statement, the BBC said that Mac had fronted "some incredible moments on BBC Radio 1, from live sessions to landmark interviews with the world’s biggest artists. Sending all of our love, appreciation and luck for the future to Annie."
The Guardian reports that Clara Amfo, the BBC broadcaster who competed in the most recent series of the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, will take over Mac’s Future Sounds show from September.
