Gabby Logan was left 'dying inside' after horrible comment by colleague

Gabby Logan spearheads Amazon Prime's coverage of Champions League matches this season. The broadcaster joined forces with Gael Clichy, Theo Walcott and Clarence Seedorf at the Emirates Stadium for Arsenal's match against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night, taking on her most recent assignment in what has already proved a frantic period.

Following her appointment to replace Gary Lineker on Match of the Day alongside Kelly Cates and Mark Chapman, Logan has been virtually omnipresent on television recently, also fronting the Women's Rugby World Cup and UEFA Women's Euros for the BBC. Regarded as one of the most recognisable, beloved and highly-regarded sports presenters in the industry, the 52-year-old's professional trajectory continues to flourish - though this is not to suggest her ascent has been without obstacles.

Logan has spoken openly about the sexism she faced during her early broadcasting days, having secured her inaugural position with Sky Sports at 23.

In her memoir, The First Half, she found it hard to say she experienced discrimination but confessed she was frequently "the butt of comments and scenarios" that her male counterparts might not have encountered.

Looking back on her career beginnings, she remembered a shocking remark delivered by a "well-known" presenter during her tenure at Sky. Whilst she initially decided to disregard it, she subsequently confessed that it left her "dying inside".

"Sky Sports was a tough school, but I find it hard to say I was subjected to discrimination," she wrote. "I was there because they wanted more women on screen, for a start, so there was an air of positivity to that.

"I was occasionally the butt of comments and scenarios that my male peers might not have had to endure. As I wandered through the office one afternoon, one well-known male presenter shouted: 'Oi, Yorath! [her maiden name]. How many Premier League footballers have you notched up on your bedpost?'"

"At 23 years old, I lacked the verbal elasticity to knock him out with a witty retort. His gang of cronies giggled. I smiled and carried on walking. Inside, I was dying."

Regrettably, this wasn't the sole inappropriate comment aimed at the Six Nations host during her early broadcasting days, as she further disclosed: "An older rugby league presenter stopped me in the corridor one day and said: 'Your a*** is amazing right now, but sadly for you, it's one of those a**** that will be by your knees when you hit 30.'

"'Well you might find out - if you're even still around when I'm 30.' That was the best I could do."

Despite her experiences, Logan emphasised in her memoir that sports broadcasting wasn't a "cesspit", and she would have expected similar comments being directed towards her regardless of what industry she was working in, given society's prevailing attitudes during that time. "To be clear, sports TV wasn't a cesspit while the rest of the world and society circled around being virtuous," she penned.

"In the mid to late 90s, I reckon I would have seen and heard the same kind of idiotically sexist stuff if I were working in a top law firm or as a trader in an investment bank.

"It was just a very male ego-driven environment. I am sure there were quite a few men there who also found the alpha atmosphere a bit too much. It was male-dominated behind the camera, too. The camera operators, sound technicians, statisticians, directors and producers were 90 per cent male.

"It's like turning round a tanker, isn't it? ," she added as she discussed the shift in attitudes within her profession. "The first movement is very slow and it feels like nothing is changing, but you have to keep going, and then eventually the whole boat comes along, gaining momentum.

"My attitude was, being there and doing the job, being visible and trying to be good at it, was as powerful as anything else I could do to speed up the change."