Sharon Ní Bheoláin has stepped away from her RTÉ show Crimecall after five years.
The popular show will return for its’ 20th season next Monday on RTÉ One, with Carla O’Brien taking over as host.
Speaking about her decision to step away from the show, Sharon said it has been a “privilege” to host and the time has come for her to “move on”.
She said: “Crimecall is a valued piece of public service broadcasting and it was nothing short of a privilege to host the show for five and a half years.”
“Alas, it’s time for me to move on but not before expressing my sincere gratitude to the dedicated Crimecall team, the studio crew, and An Garda Síochána all of whom made my job look easy.”
“In particular, I’d like to pay tribute to the many brave programme contributors; victims of crime, their families and loved ones of missing persons who spoke to me so movingly, often in the most grief-stricken circumstances.”
“It’s my great pleasure to hand over the baton now to my super-talented friend and colleague Carla O’Brien. I know she will do a great job.”
“I know our loyal viewers will continue to tune in in great numbers and help Gardaí where they can with their crime appeals,” Sharon added.
Carla added: “It is an honour and a privilege to the given the opportunity to present such a long-running and popular programme as Crimecall, which is a cornerstone of public service broadcasting.”
“I look forward to working with An Garda Síochána, the production team and, most importantly, the viewers, who make the programme possible.”
