Gabby Logan has revealed her poignant last conversation with her late father Terry Yorath, five months on from his death.
The Match of the Day presenter was live on air when she learned of Yorath’s passing, and although her father was unwell, Logan had expected the 75-year-old to return home from hospital before the tragic news.
Speaking on a new podcast about her final visit to see her father however, Logan admitted that she felt ‘privileged’ to have had such a meaning conversation with him before he died.
Logan shared that a few days before his death, she had received an email from someone who had met Yorath during his playing career.
‘He told this story about a kindness that my dad had done for him when he was a little boy,’ Logan told Hello! magazine’s Second Act. ‘My dad was playing for Leeds United and he’d given him some kit – it’s a long story, I won’t tell you because it’ll take too long.
‘But that happened on the Sunday, and Dad was due home on the Friday. And on the Wednesday, I went to visit him in hospital on my way to do Match of the Day.
Gabby Logan has opened up on her final conversation with her father Terry Yorath before he died at the age of 75
‘We got to talking about detail to do with his funeral, because we knew he was terminal, but he was supposed to have longer,’ Logan explained. ‘(It was) just the two of us in the room, and we started talking about the music, and things like that, and I said “I want to read something to you, this really amazing email came through.
‘And I read this email, and he was crying, and I said, “I’m sure, in the next few months” – meaning when you’re gone – “I’ll hear loads more stories like that. And I get to tell you this now.”
‘And I was in tears, reading it to him. He died that night. And I’d gone off to do Match of the Day, fully expecting him to go home on the Friday.’
Such was Yorath’s belief that he would be sleeping in his own bed three nights later that he and Logan had discussed what he would eat on Friday night, with the Leeds United icon settling on calves liver before a debate over mashed or roast potatoes.
‘So I’d sat and had that really incredible conversation with him, read him that email as well,’ Logan continued.
‘And I felt so – when I had time to process it later, not in the immediate aftermath – but what a privilege to be able to do that, and give him that confidence, and say, “look this is what people are going to say about you.”‘
Logan had previously shared a touching tribute to her father on social media in the aftermath of his death, praising the Wales legend for his kindness and teaching her important values, but noting that he had carried a lot of ‘pain’ throughout his life.
‘Thank you Dad for instilling your passion for fairness,’ Logan wrote. ‘Thank you for playing rounders, or making us race each other after dinner, even though Louise always beat me.
‘Thank you for not making me pay you $1,865,986 after I kept losing at cards on double or quits, when I was eight years old.
‘Thanks for teaching me the value of money by challenging me to eat a pot of mustard at dinner in return for £5 so I could buy a pair of shoes I wanted when I was 12 (even though mum was horrified). Thank you for giving me a life long love of sport. Thank you for being a relentless tease with a wicked sense of humour.’
In her statement on social media at the time, Logan noted that her father had to bear a lot of pain in his life – including the tragic death of her brother Daniel (right) at the age of 15
Yorath’s death provoked an outpouring of loving comments as well as a much-derided contribution from former Sky Sports presenter Richard Keys, who reignited a longstanding feud with Logan with his tribute.
Keys wrote: ‘Sad to hear the news of Terry Yorath’s passing. He was a warrior & won fans over wherever he played. He was great for us at Coventry & the reason I got Gabby a job at Sky. I had no idea who she was when we met but I knew her dad. RIP Terry. Your daughter did you proud.’
TNT Sports presenter Laura Woods led the criticism of Keys, writing: ‘Sorry… but what a t**t. Said with zero surprise.’ She later added: ‘Also want to add my respects to the thousands of others who are showing theirs compassionately to a much beloved broadcaster and her family. Sending all my love x.’
