Rory Reid was "disappointed" about Matt LeBlanc’s ‘Top Gear’ exit.
The TV star – who will be hosting spin-off show ‘Extra Gear’ after the ‘Friends’ actor’s departure sparked a reshuffle for the upcoming series – has said it’s a shame they couldn’t carry on after building a relationship on-air alongside Chris Harris.
He told Digital Spy: "From a selfish point of view, I think it’s disappointing that we weren’t able to continue what we worked on over the last three years.
"We had a good thing going, but you know things happen. We move on."
Matt’s exit has seen Rory bumped off the main show, with ‘Take Me Out’ comedian Paddy McGuinness and Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff joining racing star Chris for the new run.
Rory also revealed the crew weren’t told about the departing host’s decision to leave while they were working on the 26th season.
He added: "We didn’t have any of that over our heads. I heard at a very similar time to everyone else.
"My reaction was… first of all I got a call from Matt, and Matt told me that he wasn’t going to come back.
"And he has his reasons for wanting to pursue… to be closer to his family. As a father myself, I completely understand his point of view."
‘Top Gear’ will be back on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer on Sunday, February 17, and it was recently revealed that Flintoff crashed his car into a market stall during filming.
A source said: "Thankfully, no one was hurt and the crash didn’t stop the show from filming.
A BBC studios spokesman said: "During filming in Mansfield town centre, which had been closed off to members of the public for health and safety reasons, Freddie’s electric car struck an unmanned, un-stocked market stall.
"Neither he nor anyone else was hurt and filming completed as planned."
Rory Reid disappointed by Matt LeBlanc’s Top Gear exit
