Gabby Logan, 51, has reflected on the confidence blow she received in 2006 when her job as a World Cup anchor was given to a male presenter instead.
Logan - who is set to begin presenting the BBC's Olympics coverage in Paris - initially started her career in radio during her 20s and eventually moved into TV where she presented for ITV and Sky.
However, her time at ITV was abruptly cut short and "wasn’t very enjoyable because I was being slowly ... er ... moved out of my position. A new boss came in and didn’t really want what I was doing.
"You look back and it all felt so cruel and horrible," she told The Independent in 2010.
After leaving ITV, Logan moved to the BBC, where she hosted Wimbledon, Match of the Day and her first Olympics in 2008.
Now, in a recent interview with Saga Magazine, Logan reflected on the huge blow to her confidence after the huge step in her career was shrouded with difficulty.
Gabby Logan began her career in 1995 and moved to the BBC in 2007
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"I left ITV under something of a cloud. I felt it was all gone," she admitted.
She didn't let the experience affect her drive and passion for sports presenting and added that she learnt to look at the experience more positively.
"Maybe if that hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t be as appreciative and as hardworking now. When I stop, I want it to be on my own terms."
Not only is Logan's career a roaring success, but the BBC presenter recently opened up about her marriage to retired Scottish rugby union player Kenny Logan - with the pair tying the knot back in 2001.
Gabby Logan admitted her confidence was knocked after losing a huge Sky Sports role
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The couple first met back in 1999 and after hitting it off, married two years later, before welcoming their twins Lois and Reuben.
The 51-year-old recently admitted what she feels is the key to a successful marriage and told The Sun: "The key to our relationship is communication, having fun and making time to be together.
"You can't be apart all the time and expect everything to be great. We are lucky, as we see each other more than people realise."
She added: "The secret is to keep making an effort. Not to be crude, but if you had an amazing sports car, you couldn’t leave it in a garage for 15 years and expect it to work straight away.
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Gabby Logan and Kenny Logan have been married since 2001
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"If you have something special, you need to look after it."
Back in 2010, her husband recalled how one outing with his friends led to his first meeting with the sports presenter in his autobiography - Just For Kicks.
"I was in the K Bar in Fulham with a few of the Wasps boys and in walked this blonde bombshell, who I recognised from the telly. She was with someone I knew, Tamsin from Sky Sports, so I sidled up to them and got myself an introduction."
Admitting it was love at first sight, he added: "I was dumbstruck. Dumbstruck and incredibly excited. I went through to the dance floor – I was that excited – to find Peter Scrivener, another of my best mates at Wasps."