Presenter Rory Cellan-Jones insists Parkinson's diagnosis wasn't reason for BBC departure

Former technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones has insisted his had nothing to do with his diagnosis. The 67-year-old had spent 40 years at the flagship channel and continued to work following his diagnosis in 2019. Speaking exclusively to he declared: "First of all, I didn't leave the BBC because of my diagnosis.

"I had been diagnosed for three years by the time I left - just coming up for three years, and that wasn't the cause of my leaving. I actually thought when I left, it was a great opportunity to sort of buck my ideas up, because you get a bit set in your ways in working for one organisation for 40 years. But a lot of things just happened and fell into my lap, really.

Sharing his plans after leaving the BBC, he revealed: "I mean, the dog book - I was just finishing this memoir about my mum, when my agent called and said she's got five major publishers wanting to know if I was going to write a book (about his rescue dog Sophie). So I suppose I thought it would be rude not to."

Rory's dog Sophie, who lies in her bed beside him as we speak, has become a celebrity in her own right. His book about her journey, Sophie From Romania: A Year of Love and Hope with a Resue Dog, was a best seller. He has appeared on numerous TV shows with her and she has her own fan following.

It isn't only Sophie keeping Rory occupied since leaving the BBC. The former news correspondent, who was awarded an OBE in the 2024 Birthday Honours for services to journalism, went on: "I've been really busy. I've had just over three years out of the BBC, and I've written two books, been involved in several podcasts, I've got a sub stack...."

One of his key projects is the Movers and Shakers podcast which focuses on life with Parkinson's and also advocates for change in attitudes and treatments. The weekly episodes, which are recorded in a pub in Notting Hill, drop every Monday and are available from all the usual podcast outlets.

It has proved a huge success and won the Broadcasting Press Guild Award for Podcast of the Year in 2024. Rory's co-hosts for the project are former presenters Gillian Lacey-Solymar and Mark Mardell.

Also joining them on the weekly show is Vicar of Dibley writer Paul Mayhew-Archer, former top divorce lawyer and judge Sir Nicholas Mostyn and former host . All six are currently living with the condition.

Speaking about their podcast, he gushed: "It's been like having our own university of Parkinson's. I mean, I've learned a tremendous amount. I write about it too, and I'm not from a scientific background, so some of it does my head in.

"I spent the last Monday afternoon at a Parkinson's research day, where all these scientists came and explained their huge projects, and it sort of makes one's head ache.

"But we've all learned a lot, and we've all got different symptoms, and what it tells you is how, how varied the condition it is, and how difficult to address really.

"I mean, it's never going to be a chart topper, but it has an incredibly engaged audience, and we get the most amazing emails from people telling us what a difference we've made. But also ones that are telling us what we need to do.

"I got a very striking one the other day from a man who said he was 80. He said that we were a privileged bunch, which is absolutely true you know, a judge and bunch of TV and journalism people. We have sharp elbows.

"This chap says he is 80. He lives on his own in rented accomodation on a small pension. His life is very different from ours. And I said to my colleagueswe ought to just do a whole episode about him, because that's a very different experience to our experience."