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Soccer AM’s Helen Chamberlain exposes ‘smug’ star who refused to set alarm

One of the most famous guests ever to appear on Soccer AM flatly refused to get there on time, according to Helen Chamberlain.

The former presenter was speaking about the evasive fighter on her new podcast with fellow host Tim Lovejoy.

Chamberlain and Lovejoy fronted the iconic Saturday morning program together from 1996 until the latter left in 2007.

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And reminiscing on their new Soccer A-Z platform, Chamberlain revealed just how unaccommodating one former world heavyweight champion boxer was.



Helen Chamberlain
Helen Chamberlain was fondly known as ‘Hells-Bells’

She said: “David Haye, the boxer, he didn’t not show up, but we would book him and say ‘your call time is 7:30’ and he’d say ‘no, my call time is when I wake up and get there’.”

Chelsea fan Lovejoy laughed and joked “who is going to argue with him” before Chamberlain continued.

“That’s exactly what happened,” she said. “His interview used to be just floating. So it would be whenever he arrives, they just go, right David Haye is here, and we go to a commercial break and then he’d be there.

“Sometimes he would be first guest, sometimes he would be last guest, and we never argued with him. He said ‘I will get there when I get there, I refuse to set my alarm’.”

Peter Dale, better known as Tubes, was also on the podcast and he was not impressed with the Hayemaker.



David Haye
David Haye beat Nikolai Vlauev to become the WBA World Heavyweight champion in 2009



Tubes
Tubes was famous for asking ‘one question and one question only’

“Yeah, I’m not really having that,” he said. “I don’t like that.”

And many of the comments left on TikTok agreed with Tubes with one saying: “I wouldn’t interview him. Bet he turns up when he’s told now.”

Another said: “I’d let him turn up when he wanted and say sorry your time was 7:30 you missed it. That would teach him.”

A third said: “David Haye you say? Never thought he’d be difficult to work with.”

And a fifth simply went with: “Pure arrogance.”

Soccer A-Z launched this month and each episode is based on a letter of the alphabet and looks at fan culture – and it has already topped the Apple podcasts charts.



Helen Chamberlain and Tim Lovejoy
The TV presenters remember their time together on their new podcast

Chamberlain said: “I’m really looking forward to reminding Tim of all the absolute nonsense he thought up, and made us do during the Soccer AM days, as I’m sure he’s forgotten most of it – luckily, the rest of us haven’t.

“We all have endless stories about putting that show together, and it’s going to be so good to catch up with some of the old crew and hear their best memories from both behind the scenes and in front of camera.”