Brit Hume, who took over the 7 p.m. ET slot on Fox News Channel this week, confessed to FNC’s Bret Baier just ahead of the show that he was “apprehensive” about moving into the spot left open by the sudden departure of Greta Van Susteren.

Deadline.com quotes Hume saying: “I’m a little out of practice. I haven’t been in this saddle for some years now, and I’m hoping Greta’s audience won’t desert us. We’re going to be as fair as we can to all the candidates and do the best I can with my advanced age.”

Hume, who is slated to hold down the spot through the November election, commented on Van Susteren’s exit during his “On the Record” telecast, saying: “She has left Fox News, saying today the place just didn’t feel like home anymore. I count Greta as a friend, and I’m sorry to see her go.”

Van Susteren, meanwhile, commented on her exit on Facebook, confirming that she had exercised a clause in her contract allowing her to opt out following the departure of network boss Roger Ailes.

“The clause had a time limitation, meaning I could not wait,” she wrote, adding: “Fox has not felt like home to me for a few years.”