The presenter said the decision was "made in the heart and in the soul".

Ryan Tubridy has shot down the notion that he left his role as the Late Late Show host because of the RTÉ payment scandal. In a meeting with the Oireachtas this morning alongside his agent Noel Kelly, Tubridy issued an opening statement which listed seven "untruths" that the presenter believed to be circulating around him following the controversy. The presenter stated that he was not aware of "any of this debacle" when he decided to retire from the Late Late Show.

Full video: Ryan Tubridy's opening statement to PAC. @virginmedianews pic.twitter.com/ebADd9eMDW

— Gavan Reilly (@gavreilly) July 11, 2023

"I made my initial decision to leave The Late Late Show almost a year ago. Around this time, I mentioned it to those closest to me, my family and my agent. They were surprised, very surprised to say the least. "I explained to them that, among other things, I had left a lot on the studio floor after Covid. I was burnt out and exhausted - like so many people in the country. I turned it over in my mind over a few months, but by the time I got to January, I was absolutely certain of my decision." Mr Tubridy said there was zero connection between his departure and "this very raw situation of recent weeks". He said he told RTÉ management on 13 March and "first became aware of the Grant Thornton review in May – some two months later. Even then, I had no inkling of the bombshell which was to come when RTÉ released their statement on June 22nd."

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