Reporting Scotland host Sally Magnusson stepped down from the BBC programme after more than two decades. The journalist and author joined the broadcaster in 1998 and will continue to present the show until April. In a candid admission before her exit, the now 69-year-old revealed she was snubbed after putting herself forward to front the BBC's flagship show. The presenter said bosses were concerned that she's "too old" to host Crimewatch at the tender age of 43.

Crimewatch became a BBC staple for decades during its heyday and was hosted by the late Jill Dando. However, after she was brutally shot and killed on her doorstep in 1999, BBC bosses sought to find a replacement. With years of experience under her belt, Sally put herself forward for the role aged 43, but was told she was "too old" for the coveted position. It was something Sally had admittedly only experienced once in her career.

She told The Sun: "I got an embarrassed call from an executive saying they wanted somebody younger.

"It was a bit of a blow as it had never been stated to me so explicitly before."

It comes as Sally announced her departure from Reporting Scotland after 27 years. At the start of this year the presenter revealed she was quitting the show.

In a statement, she said: “Leaving Reporting Scotland will be a real wrench after 27 years.

“I’ll miss the buzz and challenges of live news presentation, which I’ve always adored.

“But although my focus now turns to a growing writing career, an expanding family, and my work around dementia, I’m also looking forward to maintaining links with the BBC as a freelance broadcaster.”

She will continue to present until April and then work with the BBC as a freelance.

Sally started in journalism at The Scotsman newspaper in 1979.

Her mother, Mamie Baird, was a newspaper journalist in Glasgow and her father, Magnus Magnusson, was a print journalist, historian and broadcaster best-known as the presenter of the BBC's Mastermind.

She started in television on BBC Scotland's Current Account programme and then on network news programmes including Sixty Minutes and Breakfast.

Her most recent television documentary for BBC Scotland was Alzheimer's, a Cure and Me which aired last year.

Magnusson is also an acclaimed author. Among her books is a biography of the Scottish runner and missionary Eric Liddell, an account of her mother's dementia, and three novels.

She was awarded an MBE in 2023 for her charity work.