Ben Shephard 'desperately trying to hold it together' after presenting final Good Morning Britain show
23 February 2024, 09:09
Ben Shephard has said goodbye to Good Morning Britain after 10 years on the show.
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Ben Shephard, 49, has said an emotional goodbye to Good Morning Britain as he begins his new job as the host of This Morning alongside Cat Deeley, 47.
The Tipping Point presenter recently revealed he was leaving GMB after 10 years and was embarking on a new challenge as one of the main presenters of This Morning, after Holly Willoughby, 43, left the programme and Phillip Schofield, 61, stepped down.
Beginning his final Good Morning Britain show on Friday the 23rd of February, Ben was joined by his co-star and close friend Kate Garraway, 46. The pair have become particularly close following the death of Kate's husband Derek Draper earlier this year. Whilst Kate was busy supporting her family and not appearing on the show, Ben was quick to give fans updates on how his friend was doing.
However the presenting duo will soon be split as Ben moves on from GMB, and the two were feeling teary at the prospect.
Kate Garraway began the show with: "Oh my god it's not even a minute past six and that's the last time I've just realised we'll hear 'Good Morning Britain with Ben Shephard and Kate Garraway'. I'm off already, too emotional!"
Ben then added: "I'm desperately trying to hold this together, we've got three hours. It's lovely to be here for the last time. And we've got a busy show to get through as well."
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Fans took to X, formally known as Twitter, to support Ben on his last show.
One user wrote: "Really going to miss waking up to Ben. Gonna have to have more "sick" days now so I can get my Ben Shephard fix. Best of luck Ben, you'll smash it!"
Another added: "I’ll really miss Ben Shephard off @GMB. He is such a kind & balanced person. Clearly a good friend to all. He’s positive & fun, but sensitive & compassionate when needed. One of the loveliest presenters there is. Never seeking attention or controversy, just does a great job."
With a third stating: "Sad day today @benshephard last day on @GMB Thursday and Friday mornings won't be the same..you will be missed by all."
Ben is no stranger to early morning shows as he started his career as one of the hosts of The Bigger Breakfast in 1998. Since then he has continued his presenting career fronting programmes such as The Xtra Factor, Soapstar Superstar and Ninja Warrior UK.
Ben-who is married to wife Annie with whom he shares sons Sam, 18, and Jack, 16- has been a regular fixture on ITV breakfast shows, after joining GMTV in 2000. However he is no stranger to presenting This Morning, as Ben was Phillip Schofield's cover on the show from 2005 to 2011.
After he was confirmed to be joining This Morning permanently, Ben said:
"I’ve loved hosting Good Morning Britain over the past 10 years since it launched. When I left GMTV, I always swore I’d never go back because of the early mornings and it goes to show how wrong I was.
"I’m grateful that my extended GMB family is only next door so that whenever I get nostalgic, I know I’m not going to being far away. Although I’ll miss being on screen with them, my later starts mean I may be able to hang out with them all a bit more!
"One of the hardest decisions of course is knowing that my mornings with Kate, my on-screen wife of nearly 20 years, is coming to an end. Her journey has been well documented, and I think we would all agree how remarkable she has been over the last four years. I won’t miss the mess but I’ve learned so much from her, as I have from all of the people I’ve been lucky enough to work alongside."
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