OÂ’Grady set for ITV show

The host’s £8m move comes after vowing never to return...

10:59 16 October 2009

Paul O'Grady has confirmed that he will return to ITV in 2010 in what's reported to be an £8m deal, three years after saying "I'd rather sweep the streets than work there again".

The comedian and chat show host is to front a new primetime Friday night chatshow on ITV1 following a dispute with Channel 4 over planned budget cuts to his daily talk programme.

O'Grady originally launched his teatime series on ITV1 in 2004, but left them after a dispute prompting his move over to Channel 4 in January 2006.

During the move he publicly criticised the way he had been treated by his former employers, launching into a verbal tirade, vowing never to return.

Revealing the reasoning behind his latest switch, the presenter told The Mirror: "My overwhelming feeling is that this is right for me now. I know that when I left ITV four years ago it was a terrible parting, daggers drawn.

"Hands up, I called them fit to burn. That's the way I am. My gob gets carried away with me and I regret mouthing off later.

"It's a bit like falling out with a mate. You lose it, tell them to b***** off and then two weeks later you've made up.

"I'm aware there will be accusations of hypocrisy but I've always made it clear I was referring to certain people in the old hierarchy - not the company as a whole."

O'Grady, who has suffered two heart attacks, also stated that concentrating on a weekly instead of a daily show will allow him to have "more respect" for his health.

His new show is expected to launch next August.