Chris Evans' wife Natasha Shishmanian 'sheds a tear' as he leaves BBC Radio 2 with piles of presents

Evans bid his final farewell to Broadcasting House 
Emma Powell24 December 2018
The Weekender

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Chris Evans was accompanied by his wife and children as he left Broadcasting House on Christmas Eve after 13 years at BBC Radio.

The presenter, 52, bid farewell to his Radio 2 Breakfast Show on Monday morning ahead of handing the reins over to Zoe Ball.

Evans got into the festive spirit as he wrapped up the show, heading home in a pair of Brussel sprout print trousers and carrying a pile of presents.

He was flanked by his wife Natasha Shishmanian and their sons Noah, nine and Eli, six.

Family affair: Chris Evans was flanked by his sons Noah and Eli
SplashNews.com

“I feel sad and very happy and very excited. It's very strange,” he told reporters outside the building. “My wife shed a few today too.”

Evans fought back tears as he paid an emotional tribute to Shishmanian live on air, hailing her his “guiding light”.

“I would like to thank my wife Natasha – my gravity, my compass, my guiding light,” he said before pausing to compose himself.

Chris Evans leaves BBC Radio 2

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“For giving me enough certainty and security to feel confident enough to embark on some uncertainty once again, which is what I like. I crave the uncertainty but you can only do that against a backdrop of certainty. Uncertainty is where creativity lives. Comfort and creativity are not good bedfellows.”

Ball praised Evans’ moving speech as she thanked him for the “joy” he has brought over the last eight years at the helm. She tweeted: “Wow Chris Evans that was a very special speech. Congrats young chap. Thank you for the radio joy. Merry Christmas to you Tash and the monkeys.”

Old and new: Zoe Ball will step in to replace Chris Evans (BBC/Sarah Jeynes)
BBC

He also thanked his fans, telling listeners: “It is sad. It’s a sad day today. But it is also an exciting day for everyone.

“You’ve got to turn the pages sometimes. If you wait for other people to turn them it might never happen, you know what I am saying?”

He thanked his colleagues past and present as well as his agent who he joked he has known “longer than any of our marriages”.

Ball will take over from Evans in the New Year as Evans returns to Virgin Radio.

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