Match of the Day host Gabby Logan had planned to move her family to France – and their reaction to the news shocked her
Gabby Logan couldn’t believe her family’s reaction(Image: Getty Images)
Gabby Logan has admitted her family were completely shocked when she asked her to spend a year in France. The Match of the Day presenter is based in Buckinghamshire with her husband, former Scottish rugby player Kenny Logan, and their two children, Reuben and Lois.
They moved there in 2013 after deciding to leave the hectic lifestyle of South West London. However, after growing up with regular moves, Gabby eventually began to yearn for a new environment again. The rest of the house, however, was much less enthusiastic.
“I remember coming down for breakfast once when the kids were like 10 and I said, ‘Guys, I’ve had this really crazy idea but I think it could be really good. Let’s go live in France for a year,'” Gabby, 53, told the site Second act with the Ateh Jewel podcast.
“[I told them] “The children can learn French and I will go to work. » And honestly, you would have thought I was suggesting that we all join a commune in Ukraine or something.
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“No, they almost started crying. Ken said, ‘People can’t understand me.’ [in England] anyway, because he’s Scottish. »
Gabby later described how she and Kenny approach change and routine in very different ways due to their contrasting childhood experiences. “Kenny has a very different background than me,” she said.
“He lived in the same family home until the age of 24 when he came to London to play for Wasps Rugby Club and it was his family farm, he grew up as a farmer. So, very different.
“We talked about my first adventures [of moving around]Kenny was very static – there was only one place he lived. We were kind of opposites… So Kenny’s idea of change is slightly different than mine.
Gabby and Kenny married in 2001 and four years later welcomed twins after IVF treatment.
A well-known figure on British television since the late 1990s, Gabby has appeared on Sky Sports, ITV and Channel 5, although she is more strongly associated with her long career at the BBC.
After joining the BBC in 2007, she went on to cover the World Cup, FA Cup, Six Nations, Olympics and Commonwealth Games. She also hosted the football highlights program Final Score between 2009 and 2013.
In 2025, she was announced as one of the new faces of Match of the Day alongside Mark Chapman and Kelly Cates. Logan had already replaced former presenter Gary Lineker on several occasions and also hosted the Day 2 match.
Kenny Logan, meanwhile, began his professional rugby journey with Glasgow Warriors in 1996 before joining London Wasps the following year. While playing there, the winger made over 100 appearances and played a key role in Wasps winning the 2002/03 Premiership title.
He then returned to Glasgow Warriors in 2004 before finishing his club career with London Scottish in 2005. Now 54, Logan also collected 70 caps for Scotland and represented the national team in both the Five Nations – now called the Six Nations – and the Rugby World Cup.
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