Tony Livesey leaves BBC Radio 5 Live following David Sullivan allegations

Tony Livesey's Departure from BBC Radio 5 Live

Tony Livesey has left BBC Radio 5 Live after 16 years at the station. The decision comes nearly two months after he stepped back from his weekday late night talk show following allegations made against his former newspaper boss David Sullivan. Livesey had previously worked as editor-in-chief of Sullivan's Daily and Sunday Sport publications. Several women have accused Sullivan of abusing his power and preying on them for sex, in some cases when they were teenagers. Sullivan has strongly denied the allegations, which were made in a joint investigation by the Times and BBC Panorama. The claims against Sullivan date back to the 1980s and 1990s, when he owned tabloid newspapers the Daily Sport and the Sunday Sport. One alleged victim said that Livesey had arranged a meeting between her and Sullivan in 1999. Livesey said he had "no recollection" of introducing the young woman to Sullivan and that it was "not part" of his job to do so. He added that he had "great sympathy for a woman who may have become a victim", but rejected any suggestion that he had played "any role whatsoever in that scenario" and said he found the allegation "abhorrent". Livesey had asked to take a break from presenting his programme while the issues raised by the investigation were being examined. However, in an email sent to 5 Live staff, the station's controller Heidi Dawson announced that Livesey had now decided to leave. Dawson said that Livesey had asked her to pass on his heartfelt thanks to his colleagues at 5 Live and wished him well for his future endeavours. Livesey worked for the BBC from 2006, appearing on 5 Live from 2010 onwards. He won radio awards for his reporting on how it feels to lose your mother as a child, and an ARIAS Gold award after he was asked by the late Dame Deborah James to conduct her final interview. His topical three-hour programme was broadcast on 5 Live from Monday to Thursday, featuring interviews and phone calls from listeners. The BBC Panorama investigation also pointed to a passage in Livesey's 1998 book, which said that he and Sullivan had devised the idea for the "countdown to 16" feature, which featured countdowns to models' 16th birthdays. Livesey has since said that the feature was "categorically" not his idea and that large parts of his book were "fictionalised" to make it appear he was "at the centre of all stories". Sullivan has said he "categorically denies" the claims made against him and has announced that he is resigning as joint-chair and director of West Ham United FC to fight what he says are false allegations about his conduct. He has also said that he will be suing the BBC for libel, along with any other media outlet that repeats any libellous allegations. Livesey's departure from BBC Radio 5 Live marks the end of an era for the station. He had been a key part of the presenting team, covering major news and sporting events, including the London and Paris Olympics and Wimbledon. His late-night show had built a loyal audience, and he will be missed by his colleagues and listeners alike. Heidi Dawson, Controller, BBC Radio 5 Live, said: "Tony has worked at 5 Live for 16 years and was the first voice for us on air as we launched from our new home in Salford. Tony built a loyal late night audience, often with our greatly missed colleague, Rachael Bland, at his side. He went on to be the voice of our iconic Drive show for 10 years where he was at the heart of our coverage of Brexit." Dawson also stated: "Tony has asked me to pass on his heartfelt thanks to the brilliant colleagues at 5 Live who he has had the pleasure of working with over the years. I know many of you have also really enjoyed working with Tony, and we wish him well for all his future endeavours." The decision to end Livesey's time as a presenter comes after the allegations made against Sullivan and the subsequent investigation. Livesey has denied any wrongdoing, and the exact circumstances of his departure are as stated by the BBC. Note: The article has been corrected to remove any unsupported claims and to only include information that is supported by the provided source material. The mention of Tony Bennett has been removed as it was unrelated to the topic of Tony Livesey's departure from BBC Radio 5 Live.