The presenter spoke to the ECHO in an exclusive interview about her exit from Hits Radio, landing the new gig on BBC Radio Merseyside and her special connection with the people of Liverpool
08:22, 29 Mar 2026Updated 10:18, 29 Mar 2026
Leanne Campbell spoke to the ECHO in an exclusive interview at the BBC Radio Merseyside studio(Image: Liverpool Echo)
When Leanne Campbell was dealt the difficult news her Hits Radio show would be coming to an end, she was never going to accept it lying down. The 45-year-old’s whole adult life has been spent on the airwaves communicating with the people of Liverpool and her voice is synonymous with mornings in the city.
But she found herself in unchartered territory last summer when, for the first time since her early days on Juice FM, that daily dialogue with the city was broken. Leanne told the ECHO in an exclusive interview she went through something akin to a “grieving process” after Hits Radio’s parent station, Bauer Media, decided to cut its regional programmes in favour of one centralised show in the Capital.
However, the Scouser has never been one to wallow in the face of adversity and she responded in characteristic style with the same positive attitude that propelled her rise to become one of the city’s most successful broadcasters. She said: “Like anything in life, if you can’t control it, you’ve got to do with it what you can.
“The listeners know me, I’m positive until the end, so there was never really any negativity from me about what I was going to do next. I was always going to work hard.
“Whether that was a total change of career, going into theatre or leaning into the social media side of things. Everything that I looked at was always positive because that’s just the way I’m wired.”
Leanne adopted a simple mantra to say “yes” to whatever came her way and see what fate put in her path. The resilient outlook, that has left her in good stead throughout her life, has proved fruitful once again as Leanne has now landed another dream role with her own show on BBC Radio Merseyside.
The Scouser, who grew up in Walton and now lives in Crosby, will be taking over the Friday show on 95.8FM from 10am – 2pm and the BBC gig represents the natural next step in her radio journey. She added: “I’ve been manifesting this since Juice FM.
“I wouldn’t say it was a plan, I’d say it was a dream of doing the youth station [Juice FM], going on to do the heritage commercial station [Radio City] and then you always want to tick this box [BBC], don’t you?
“This is the one you can really get your teeth into. This is the one where you can talk to people about things that actually matter and that’s the bit I’m most excited about.”
Leanne has built her career on talking to her listeners and she certainly won’t be short of conversation on her first day, which aptly coincides with the Grand National’s Ladies Day on April 10. She laughed: “It’s quite the iconic move. Like any show that I’ve ever done, my microphone is everyone else’s microphone. Those callers are welcome from the moment I sit in that seat until the moment it’s time to move on. That’s what it’s about. It’s about getting everyone’s thoughts.”
She added: “In Liverpool, it would be awful if you keep that microphone to yourself.” Taking the reins on this show represents a full circle moment for Leanne as she is filling the Friday void left by Tony Snell, who is dropping a day from his weekly broadcast schedule.
Stepping in his shoes is particularly emotional for Leanne as she praised Tony as being the personality who opened her eyes to a career in radio. She said: “None of my family have ever worked in radio. I’ve got no one who worked in the media or showbiz.
“Nothing has ever been handed to me on a plate. I’ve got no connection to it other than standing as a little dancer watching Tony Snell switch the Christmas lights on in the middle of town and thinking, ‘I don’t know any women doing that.’
“I thought, ‘I could do that’. And here we are now. Tony Snell has just opened up the door to me going, ‘Sit on that seat and meet my family.'”
Leanne Campbell spoke to the ECHO in an exclusive interview as she prepares to take the reins of her new Friday show at BBC Radio Merseyside(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Tony has been a fixture of Radio Merseyside since 1997 and will still host his popular show from Monday – Thursday. Leanne explained her mid morning Friday programme will be a continuation of her predecessor’s successful formula with a sprinkle of that “Scouse girl twist” she is so renowned for.
Exciting new features are being developed for the show, but, more than any concept, Leanne just can’t wait to get behind that purple microphone to reprise the dialogue with the people of Liverpool she treasures so dearly.
She said: “[On my show] What we do is we have a good gab. I want to hear people, what they’re going through. I want the funny stories, as well as the stuff we’re living through together so everyone knows you’re not alone. We’ve got each-other and we are a team.”
She added: “For me, being on the radio has always been an honour. To wake up Liverpool when you’re a Scouser is the best job in the world. I laugh with Jamie Carragher because he might say his job is the best in the world, but I’d argue the toss that mine is better.”
Leanne’s conversational style has developed a genuine bond with her listeners, who really showed up to support her during the hard moments after the announcement her Hits Radio show would be taken off air. She said: “At times, I’ve had a few tears over [the messages] when it was happening.
“People are lovely. There’s a lot of grim comments that we see on posts and there can be a negative side to social media. At that time in my life, it was the most comforting and powerful way for anyone to connect with anyone. I was talking to people who were going through massive changes in their life and, once again, we relate together.
“Things end. Things come to an end. It’s how you deal with it and it’s what you do with that moment.” Leanne said the support she received from people was emblematic of the Scouse spirit of unity that makes her so proud to be from this city.
She added: “That’s in our DNA, we’ve got that spark. People go through things, but this city comes together at every opportunity. The good will always outweigh the bad and that was another prime example of it. The support was overwhelming. And it’s something I’ll never forget.”
This connection with listeners is something Leanne has spent decades cultivating as all the big moments in her life have played out on air. She said: “I was a baby when I started. I didn’t know much about life.
“I was on Juice FM talking about clubbing, I got married on air. I had my first kids. My first child went to school, and on his first day of school, I was there with a microphone in the Radio City vehicle recording every minute. I was sobbing when he went in.”
That child is now old enough to be following the BBC news and Leanne was emotional to hear from her son how happy he was when he read the article she had joined Radio Merseyside. She added :”It’s wonderful the whole family is proud and that’s what makes me proud.”
Leanne certainly won’t be resting on her laurels now that she has landed the gig with BBC Radio Merseyside. The presenting job will run alongside her many other projects across theatre, social media and, of course, her daily podcast with co-host Dave Kelly.
The broadcaster has never been shy of hard work and is looking forward to the next chapter as she fulfils her mission to do her home city proud.
She said: “There’s always plates being spun. The mission is to get the Scouse accent in as many places as where we can get it. That is the mission, it’s always been the mission and it will continue to be the mission.”
Leanne Campbell’s first BBC Radio Merseyside show will be broadcast on Friday, April 10