Radio 1 presenter Dean McCullough tearfully told listeners “my heart hurts today” as he hosted his final show after being let go amid a major shake-up at the station.The Northern Irish host is one of six beloved presenters exiting Radio 1 in September, to be replaced by five new presenters including social media stars and broadcasters.Reflecting on his time at the BBC earlier in the week, McCullough, who started out at the LGBTQ+ station Gaydio, admitted that he’d struggled with the BBC’s strict impartiality guidelines “as an out and proud gay man” during his six years at the public broadcaster.“Moving to the BBC meant sacrificing my public views and in [turn], a part of my voice. It’s not been easy and I’ve had to do a lot of my advocacy in the shadows,” he wrote on Instagram. The BBC declined to comment when approached by The Independent. Presenter’s exit from Radio 1 was announced in July (Getty)McCullough, 34, hosted his final early breakfast show on Thursday (3 September), telling listeners up top that he was feeling “loads of emotions today” but that it was ”going to take a lot to make me cry”.But the tears started falling during McCullough’s penultimate link, while paying tribute to the people he’d crossed paths with at Radio 1.“To everyone I’ve had the pleasure of meeting since I walked through the doors at the BBC on December 30 2020,” he said, unable to speak through his tears.Gathering himself, McCullough continued: “We didn’t just make radio together – you made me better… I hope our paths continue to cross, I hope you get everything that you’ve dreamed of, and the rest is still unwritten,” before fading into Natasha Bedingfield’s 2004 track.In his final link, McCullough, who appeared on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in 2024, continued to cry as he spoke of giving his all to the show “to the detriment of my mental health, at times”.Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 dayNew subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.Try for freeADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.The presenter hosted his final show after six years at Radio 1 on Thursday (Getty)“I leave Radio 1 feeling so grateful,” he said. ”My heart hurts today, but I know that we had the most amazing chapter here at Radio 1.“There’s one thing that I want to leave you with, it’s this: no matter who you are, where you’re from, what your upbringing is, the colour of your skin, your background, what you’ve got in the bank, I want you to always speak from your heart, because the right people will hear you.”McCullough’s exit was announced in July, along with news that fellow presenters Melvin Odoom, Rickie Haywood-Williams, Nat O’Leary, James Cusack and Swarzy are also leaving the station.While the BBC is yet to reveal the reason behind the schedule changes, other radio stations are facing staff overhauls as part of job losses across BBC News, TV and radio amid major cost-saving measures at the broadcaster.