Beloved BBC star makes TV return a decade after husband's tragic death

21 August 2023 , 17:11

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Beloved BBC star makes TV return a decade after husband's tragic death

Sarah Greene made an official comeback to TV on Monday afternoon, nearly 10 years after the death of her beloved husband.

The BBC personality had been a regular face on Britain's national broadcaster for decades, having first broken into the public eye in 1980 as Blue Peter co-presenter alongside Peter Duncan.

Sarah, 65, would go on to land hosting gigs on hit shows like Saturday Superstore and Going Live!, as well as acting roles on British soap operas like Casualty and Brookside. She stepped back from the entertainment industry in 2014, however, after her spouse of 25 years, Mike Smith, died of heart complications following major heart surgery. The radio DJ's passing aged 59 was met by an outpouring of tributes from his TV colleagues, many of whom were stunned to hear of the tragic news.

Sarah Green returned to TV on Monday (BBC)

Aside from the occasional appearances on TV in the years following - including guest hosting This Morning alongside the likes of Phillip Schofield and Rylan Clarke - Sarah has remained mostly out of the spotlight since losing her husband.

She made a long-awaited comeback to our screens on Monday with The Finish Line, a brand new gameshow on BBC One. Joined by Roman Kemp, the former Blue Peter presenter will put contestants through their paces in a speedy quiz with a unique racetrack set over the course of 25 episodes.

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Mike Smith and Sarah Greene were married for 25 years (Getty Images)

Sarah Greene took a hiatus from TV after the death of her husband Mike Smith (Corbis via Getty Images)

In an interview to discuss the project with the BBC, Sarah described her new show as "nail-biting, hilarious and actually tear-jerking", before adding that it's "very moving" when "someone has made it and it's meant a great deal to them."

The former Dancing on Ice star also said that the "fun" experience reminded her of "how much I love working in television," and that she was "so sad" to have finished recording.

Roman Kemp and Sarah Greene co-host new gameshow (BBC)

As for Roman, the Capital FM host praised Sarah as a constant source of support during filming and admitted that he consulted her "all the time for advice. She's been there and she's done it, and I have such huge respect for her," he gushed. "She was basically like my mum on set. If I had felt like I wasn't doing well enough or anything, she'd be there going, "Come on darling, you're doing so great, you're doing so great."

Viewers of The Finish Line have already taken to Twitter to share their reactions to its first episode, which aired at on August 21 at 4.30pm on BBC One.

"Quite like the #thefinishline," one impressed person wrote. "Roman Kemp & Sarah Greene are the hosts I never knew I needed on TV."

Another viewer hailed the show as "great" before adding that Roman and Sarah are a "good pairing".

Emma Dooney