Gareth Cliff
After 11 seasons as a judge on Idols South Africa, radio star Gareth Cliff has decided to call it a day. Gareth made the shock announcement in a statement posted to his Facebook page yesterday.
“It’s time! After 11 seasons of Idols, it’s time for me to say goodbye. What better way to bring this chapter to a close than a trip to New York and meeting American Idols judge Harry Connick Jr and being on his post-Idols show – ‘Harry’,” Gareth wrote.
Though the presenter who hosts Cliff Central would not reveal his future plans, he told fans to “watch the space”.
Gareth’s relationship with Idols SA had been stormy, after he was fired from the show to which he took M-Net to court over the decision and was reinstated, with M-Net ordered to pay costs. He later told reporters at a news conference that he held no grudges against the show’s producers.
Gareth will leave at the end of this year’s ongoing season which this week saw the Top 3 being announced and fan favourite, Terra Cox leaving.
Cox’s exit proved that the audience had the final say when it comes to picking the winner. The blonde contestant was an early fan favourite but his recent song choices and performances left the judges underwhelmed and ultimately to him receiving the least number of votes for the week.
Next week, the top 2 will be announced ahead of the final stretch of the singing competition. — TimesLive/Jacaranda.