Chris Evans has reduced his wife to tears with an emotional message during his final breakfast show on BBC Radio 2.
The broadcaster – who earlier held back sobs as he thanked friends and family – invited Natasha Shishmanian, who he married in 2007, on to his last show for the Corporation.
He explained he might have gone “too deep” with his heartfelt speech but refused to apologise, saying: “It’s just the way I am.”
He said of himself: “Your voice cracks on the radio sometimes. It’s because you go too deep, which is forgivable but not always forgettable.
“You just start to lose it on radio. It’s easy when you mean it and I make no apologies for it.
“Sometimes I do it too much but it’s just the way I am. Some people take to stoicism like a duck to water, but not me.”
The 52-year-old presenter, who has been at the BBC station since 2005 and has had the breakfast slot since January 2010, is departing to return to Virgin almost 20 years after he left.
Subsequently, he revealed he had invited Shishmanian, a professional golfer and former model, on air with an ulterior motive.
He challenged her to read out a letter he had written in the voice of their sons Noah and Eli without crying.
Evans told her: “If you want to get through it don’t think about the words on the page, but sometimes you can’t help that.”
Laughing, she read: “Today’s gobsmackers are chosen by Noah and Eli Evans for their mum, Tash.”
The 38-year-old then began to cry, saying: “Oh, for goodness sake”, before continuing.
She said: “They say that while everybody is talking about our dad we wanted to pick two songs for mum. One is because she loves nothing more than to dance in the sunshine with a grapefruit g and t, laughing uncontrollably with the people she loves.
“The other is her mascara moment, with Michael Jackson with Love Never Felt So Good. But first, Razorlight with America.”
Evans then played both songs as Shishmanian continued to cry with joy. He asked her jokingly: “Now do you get it? Are we quits?”
She replied, saying: “Quits, and happy Christmas.”