The BBC has been forced to pull its Saturday midday sport show Football Focus after the stars said they would not take to the air until the Gary Lineker row has been resolved. Alex Scoptt and Kelly Somers are both reported to have declined to take part in the weekly show, reports The Sun.
A source quoted by The Sun said: "Alex fully supports Gary and last night decided she would not host Football Focus to show her support for him.
"Kelly has been brought in to replace her for the episode. Alex was in Media City in Manchester preparing for the show yesterday but after seeing the news play out said she did not feel comfortable."
Alex Scott tweeted: "I made a decision last night that even though I love my show and we have had an incredible week winning an SJA for football focus that it doesn’t feel right for me to go ahead with the show today.. Hopefully I will be back in the chair next week…."
Kelly then tweeted that she would not take part.
Sky News says the show has instead been axed.
Saturday’s Match Of The Day will go ahead without a presenter, pundits and several regular commentators after Lineker was told to step back from hosting the BBC show.
Former England footballers and MOTD regulars including Alan Shearer and Ian Wright announced on Friday that they would be boycotting the show in solidarity with Lineker.
Several of the show’s commentators also said they would be stepping down from Saturday’s broadcast.
The BBC said the show would “focus on match action without studio presentation or punditry”, saying it understood the position of its presenters.
Lineker, 62, became embroiled in a row over impartiality after comparing the language used to launch a new Government asylum seeker policy with 1930s Germany on Twitter.
The broadcaster said it had “decided” Lineker would take a break from presenting the highlights programme until an “agreed and clear position” on his use of social media had been reached.
