Popular TV host Eleni Menegaki used her name day on 21 May as an opportunity to put an end to rumours stating that she will be leaving Alpha to appear on another channel. Instead, she announced that she would be departing from Alpha and Greek TV to pursue other interests and spend time away from her work obligations.
“It is important for a person who has had such a journey to decide when they will put a semi colon or depart from the limelight,” Ms Menegaki had recently said when discussing the decision of Jean-Paul Gautier to depart from the world of fashion. Tabloids took her words to also hold meaning for her own career.
Greek TV guide Teletypos announced that Eleni Menegaki, “the biggest brand name on Greek television has decided to put an end to her collaboration with Alpha”. A week later, Proto Thema confirmed the “divorce” between Eleni Menegaki and Alpha, adding that Menegaki would be heading to the United States with her family for a long trip in autumn.
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In the past Menegaki had been a long-term fixture at ANT1 before moving to Alpha for 15 years. She made the decision to step out of the spotlight after 30 years of success shortly before her contract ended. On her show she had said: “I’m slow in making a decision, but once I make it, I see it through fast.”
After a video presentation of her work, titled “Eleni through the eyes of her coworkers”, Menegaki spilled the beans by stating that she was very lucky to have enjoyed working in an area which suited her. She spoke of 30 years in the limelight of which 15 were with Alpha and said that last year she made the decision that this year would be her last. She added that she would not appear on another channel, but that she would be free to pursue her other interests.
