The Grand Tour's James May has been "quietly contemplating" retiring and told Radio Times "it's not far off".
The former Top Gear presenter was speaking to the publication to promote his new Amazon travel series Our Man in Italy. May said the travel show, where he explores Italian culture, has influenced his desire to slow down.
"I don't know if it's because I had a nice time in Italy, or because I'm getting older, or because I'm sick of admin," he admitted.
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According to May, he is starting to rethink his TV career after a close friend passed away and it spurred him to think about what matters most in life.
"A very close friend of mine died a few weeks ago," said May. "He retired early, because he'd always had this fear that his family isn't very long-lived, and he wanted to swap possessions for experiences and knowledge.
"It was quite interesting thinking about that after he'd gone because it takes a certain amount of courage to say: 'No, I don't want to telegraph my success and my sophistication. I simply want to have a nice life and contemplate the mystery and wonder of God's creation.'"
Related: Top Gear's Paddy McGuinness speaks out about show future
When asked if he was close to quitting TV and selling his cars, the presenter added: "It's something I'm quietly contemplating, and I suspect it's not far off."
The Grand Tour returned to Amazon Prime Video last December (2021) for its second lockdown special Carnage A Trois.
Carnage A Trois was a celebration of France's "weird cars" and followed Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May on an epic road trip from the Welsh hills to the English Channel.
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Harriet is a freelance news writer specialising in TV and movies at Digital Spy.
A horror enthusiast, she joined Digital Spy after working on her own horror website, reviewing films and focusing largely on feminism in the genre.
In her spare time, Harriet paints and produces mixed-media art. She graduated from the University of Kingston with a BA in fine art, where she specialised in painting. She also has an MA in journalism from Birkbeck University.
