Chris Evans emotional as Vassos Alexander leaves Virgin Radio show
Chris Evans was in tears live on air on Friday as he bid farewell to his long-time co-host Vassos Alexander.
Vassos was presenting his final Virgin Radio Breakfast Show after 14 years working alongside Evans.
Their partnership began in 2011 on BBC Radio 2 before they both moved to Virgin Radio six years ago. Vassos announced in May that he would be leaving to pursue new opportunities, explaining: “You’ve got to follow your heart.”
During Friday’s broadcast, Chris became visibly emotional as he thanked Vassos for their years together and spoke about the support he received when his mother Minnie died in 2018.
Holding back tears, he told listeners: “I want to thank you for your friendship. I want to thank you for your love. The day my mum died you were amazing, remember? You took over the show. I can never forget that mate.”
Earlier in the show, Vassos paid tribute to Chris, describing their time together as “the honour of my life.”
He said: “It has been the honour of my life to work on this show, and I still can’t quite believe I’m leaving voluntarily. Much more importantly, I value our friendship above everything and long may that continue.”
As a parting gift, Vassos chose to play Chris’s favourite song, Wild West Hero by ELO, revealing he only learned it was Chris’s favourite this week.
He told him on air: “There’s not much we don’t know about each other, but I only just discovered this week that this is your favourite song. So Chris, your friend Vassos has picked Wild West Hero by ELO. Why? Because he loves you.”
Reacting to the moment, Chris said: “Oh, Vassos. What are we going to do? We can’t start crying now.”
Trying to keep the mood upbeat, Vassos later joked: “This is lovely for us, but it is going to be a rubbish listen if we just cry for three hours!”
The mother of Bromances ❤️ pic.twitter.com/qLhHsUvwIG
— Virgin Radio UK (@VirginRadioUK) July 18, 2025
The station marked the occasion by posting a tribute video on social media, describing their friendship as “The mother of Bromances” and sharing clips of Vassos’s memorable moments on the show, including singing challenges and comedy stunts.
What a joy it’s been, Vassos ❤️
Here’s just a few of his best moments we’ll NEVER forget 🥹 pic.twitter.com/HHiV3RV4nS
— Virgin Radio UK (@VirginRadioUK) July 18, 2025