FORMER DJ Stephanie Hirst was told by Capital FM to come off air during her gender reassignment treatment because it was not "commercially viable", it has been claimed.
The hugely popular presenter, left 'Hirsty's Daily Dose' breakfast show, which was listened to by thousands across Hull and East Yorkshire, without prior warning in June.
Stephanie, formerly known as Simon, announced last weekend she had begun the process of becoming a woman and said she left the radio station to "focus on herself".
But a letter leaked to the BBC says Global Radio, which owns Capital FM, "did not think gender reassignment was suitable or commercially viable content" for shows.
It was addressed to Simon Hirst and signed by the executive director of Global Radio Richard Park.
The letter said: "We have a responsibility for your well-being, and having considered the matter we are not satisfied that going through this process 'on air' is in your best interests."
It added it would support her through the process "in any way we can".
Subsequently, Hirst announced his sudden departure from the show in June, telling fans: "It's been a blast, but all good things must come to an end. I've had 11 fantastic years hosting Hirsty's Daily Dose at Capital Yorkshire and I've decided to take a break as, personally, it's been a tough 12 months and the time has come to make one of the hardest decisions of my life."
Hirst later told Radio Today that he had quit for personal reasons, saying he had experienced a "tough 12-months", without elaborating.
A statement from Global Radio in response to the allegations said: "Hirsty made the decision to take time out to focus on the process he was going through.
"We were sad to see Hirsty leave but we were happy to offer him our full support.
"We wish Stephanie all the best in the future. It's standard practice in radio for presenters to come off air once they've made a decision to leave."
Following Hirst's departure, co-presenters Danny Oakes and JoJo Kelly continued with the show with new host Adam O'Neill.
More than 27,000 people have now joined a Facebook campaign called 'We Want Stephanie Hirst Back On Capital FM'.
In a status posted on Thursday night, the group said: "Utterly disgusting!!! Shame on you Capital FM!"
The creators of the group have now launched a new page, entitled 'We Want Stephanie Hirst Back On Air'. It was joined by more than 3,000 people in just an hour.
Stephanie yesterday posted the first pictures of her as a woman on Facebook, accompanied by the status: "YES! Just done my first industry appearance as my true self.
"This is me and I feel ALIVE."
