Spencer Matthews has shared his reason for quitting the hugely successful podcast he hosted alongisde his wife Vogue Williams.
The former reality star attracted huge amounts of listeners alongside his TV presenter wife with their self-titled podcast, which saw the pair discussing everything from their marriage to their life together.
Spencer and Vogue have hosted the podcast together since 2020 but, earlier this year, the former Made in Chelsea star left fans devastated when he announced he would be stepping back from the show.
The 36-year-old expressed his love for the show before announcing in a recent podcast that he would be “moving on”. The dad-of-three said he would be replaced by somebody with “equal or superior charisma” who’s “funnier” and happy to talk about gossip – Vogue’s sister, Amber Wilson.
Spencer said: “You can probably tell where this is going. I am moving on from this podcast to pursue other business interests and to focus on my upcoming challenge and just other bits and bobs that I would like to spend more time focusing on.
“I’ve loved doing this show; I have and, you know, it would never have been as popular as it has been without the listeners.”
Last year, Spencer entered the Guinness World Record by running 30 marathons in 30 days across the Jordanian desert. Speaking to the Daily Mail, the endurance athlete explained that it was this experience that left him wanting to devote his time to something with “more meaning”.
He said: “A lot of the content I was providing before lacked? well, it was entertaining, and I loved doing that, but my time in the desert really did change me, left me thinking: “Who am I?”
“I thought if I can go from being this unhappy, turbulent alcoholic who honestly couldn’t see away forward, either professionally or socially, then maybe I can help other people, too.
“I mean the idea that someone like me – who was a ‘slave to the bottle’ ?, really – can push through all that self-loathing and reach a place of pride, was transformational’,.
‘I could see that pride in everyone – in Vogue, my parents, in my brother. It was a powerful thing.”
In November, he also announced he was ending his Six Degrees podcast with fellow Made In Chelsea alumni Jamie Laing, and will no longer be recording episodes of his other podcast, Big Fish.
On Tuesday, he launched a podcast series titled Untapped, a weekly hour-long recording that will see Matthews “explore human potential with extraordinary guests”.
“Untapped is the realisation of this ambition and I would love you to join me in this new chapter which promises to be fun, uplifting, motivational and even inspirational at times as we hear from the greatest athletes, scientists, and thinkers in the world to truly discover what potential we all have within us,” he said.
Spencer will be joined on the podcast by ex-footballer Jake Quickenden and their first show with free solo climber Alex Honnold is out now.