Former presenting duo Tim Lovejoy and Helen Chamberlain spent 11 years delivering their unique blend of comedy and chaos from the Soccer AM studio. However, Sky Sports viewers were almost robbed of numerous accidental scuffles, hilarious catwalk struts and their rough-and-ready segments - with Tim admitting he wanted to “get rid” of Helen from the offset.

Now-defunct sports chat show Soccer AM aired from August 1994 to May 2023. Known for its pop culture coverage and for hosting a slew of celebrity guests, the sporting programme saw everyone from former Premier League star Jimmy Bullard to Russ Williams and Andy Goldstein taking the reigns.

However, many fans argue it’s Tim and Helen, who turned the show into a powerhouse. Torquey fan Hannah had been working on Soccer AM in the year before the Sunday Brunch star was appointed.

However, Tim was apparently less than impressed with her work, immediately crafting plans to hoist her out of the presenting role. “I was producing The Big Breakfast when I got the Soccer AM job,” the 57-year-old told The Guardian last year.

“The first change I wanted to make was: get rid of Helen. Her job appeared to be linking to commercial breaks about roadworks, which I wasn’t interested in.”

Despite the initial lack of interest, the 57-year-old changed his tune. Realising Hannah knew much more about football than he did, Tim admitted: “We’ve got to keep her”.

The father-of-three added that he and his co-presenter were like “brother and sister” who used to bicker behind the scenes. "She couldn’t stand me and I couldn’t stand her," he explained.

Recalling one particular moment, Tim told how a backstage row had bled into the marathon four-hour live show. At the time, the Londoner turned to the camera and said: “We've fallen out by the way, so I've no idea what this show is going to be like.”

Luckily, their feud was short-lived as “all was forgotten” just 30 minutes later. In the same interview, Helen said she knew her co-presenter thought she was a “pointless” member of the team at first.

"Thankfully, he realised there was also a side of me that was up for the laugh, embracing the nonsense and going along with the b******t,” she added.

After parting ways when Tim left the programme in 2007, the pair reunited last September to front the Soccer A-Z podcast. One particular episode featured the duo along with former Soccer AM figures like Robbie Knox, Joe Worsley, and Neil Smythe.

Former producer of the sporting show Robbie revealed that Tim had actually offered the role to someone else before him. “I went for an interview, you offered it to someone else. They couldn't start in time, so I got the job. I'm only here because someone else couldn't get out of their previous job,” he said.

Helen then chimed in, saying: "[Tim] was gonna sack me! Don't you remember? He took over Soccer AM, first thing on his list: 'Don't need her, she doesn't do anything!'”

"That is true," commented the guilty party. But it turned out Helen was brilliant!"

Tune into Tim Lovejoy on Sunday Brunch every Sunday from 10am on Channel 4.