Ben Shephard began his final day on Good Morning Britain on Friday with his presenting partner Kate Garraway.
The broadcaster, 49, is saying goodbye to the morning show after a decade as a presenter with his old friend, after landing a new job as permanent presenter on This Morning.
Within minutes of starting the show, both Ben and his old friend Kate admitted they were struggling to contain their emotions.
Kate said: ‘Oh my God, it’s not even a minute past six and that’s the last time I realize we’re going to hear ‘Good Morning Britain with Ben Shephard and Kate Garraway’. I’m leaving, too excited!’
Charlotte Hawkins gushed: ‘It’s a great moment. We will do our best to keep it together today.
Ben Shephard began his final day on Good Morning Britain on Friday with his presenting partner Kate Garraway.
The presenter is saying goodbye to the morning show after a decade of presenting it with his old friend Kate, after landing a new job as permanent presenter of This Morning.
Within minutes of the show starting, both Ben and his old friend Kate admitted they were struggling to contain their emotions.
Then Ben added: “I’m desperately trying to hold this together, we have three hours.” It’s wonderful to be here for the last time. And we also have a very busy show.”
Kate joked: ‘We’ve got three hours of other stuff, it’s not just Ben Shepard’s mania. It’s about 92% though.’
Later in the show, tributes to Ben continued to pour in, with Kate saying: “We’re all going to miss Ben in the mornings.” The cheeky smile, the risky insinuations.
She continued to joke: ‘Yes, our producers are a little relieved about that!’
As Ben’s latest show began, many viewers took to social media to pay tribute, with one writing: “So sad to see you leaving GMB Ben Shephard. Nice to see you 4, 10 years, best of luck with your adventure on This Morning , you will do it”. You will be missed by millions, GMB won’t be the same without you.’
Another added: “His honesty, humor and professionalism got us through some difficult Covid mornings in 2020. I don’t know anyone who has a bad word for Ben.”
A third posted: “Bye @benshephard I’ll miss you.”
During the show, Andi Peters also revealed that he and Ben had started working together on T4 decades earlier and surprised him with a fun going away gift.
Handing Ben the gift for his new dressing room on This Morning, Ben struggled to contain his laughter after seeing it was a bobblehead of Andi himself.
Andi fought back tears as she told viewers to “give me a second” before introducing the competition.
As Ben’s final show began, many viewers took to social media to pay tribute.
Ben will take over as host of This Morning alongside Cat Deeley next month, following the departure of Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby last year.
It comes after Ben paid an emotional tribute to his GMB co-host and ‘onscreen wife of 20 years’ Kate.
The Tipping Point presenter said stopping to perform alongside his friend Kate was the “hardest decision” before agreeing to take on the role of Phillip Schofield’s replacement.
The TV favourite, who has presented GMB since 2014, also revealed that the neighboring studios would make it easier for him to call for a catch-up.
He said: “One of the most difficult decisions, of course, is knowing that my mornings with Kate, my on-screen wife of almost 20 years, are coming to an end.”
Addressing the recent loss of her beloved husband Derek Draper, Ben continued: “Her journey has been well documented and I think we would all agree how extraordinary she has been over the past four years.
“I won’t miss out, but I’ve learned a lot from her, as well as from everyone I’ve been lucky enough to work with.”
Following the news, Kate took to Instagram to congratulate Ben and Cat, and admitted how much she would miss working with him.
Alongside a photo of them laughing, he wrote: “Huge congratulations to @benshephardofficial on the @itv @thismorning gig.”
‘You will be MUCH missed by all @gmb viewers and the team and of course especially me. BUT after 24 years of hard work at my side no one will begrudge you the time off for good behavior!!!’
Before adding: ‘Good luck swapping early departures for (a little) rest and a Kate for a cat! @catdeeley I can’t wait to see you, you’ll have a great time’
Cat and Ben have been in talks for a few months following the departure of Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield and will now make their debut next month following the news.
Her role on the show will see the star lose her long-standing role on So You Think You Can Dance in the US, where she was reportedly paid £43k per episode; Instead she opted for the role on This Morning with £550k. annual salary.
It had been claimed that she had finally been won over with a more lucrative deal, but ITV insiders denied the claims, insisting it was the ability to spend more time as a family, with a big payday, that finally sealed the deal.
The news was confirmed via a custom promo on This Morning’s Twitter, which shows Ben walking down the familiar This Morning production hallway and placing a new photo of Cat on the wall, before turning to the camera when he sees her. photo comes to life.
Ben said: “It really feels like a very special moment for Cat and I to be part of the next episode of This Morning.” It’s an honor to be entrusted with the reins, to join Alison and Dermot and the entire team who work on and off screen and do great work…
‘For the last ten years I’ve been waking up to our ITV daytime audience on GMB and now I’m looking forward to spending time with Cat…
“Welcoming viewers home after their school run or morning routines, with a cup of tea and a mix of everything that makes This Morning so loved.”
Cat added: ‘This Morning is a national institution. Every time they broadcast it, it’s like inviting your friends: funny, smart, silly, sincere, informative and happy, like all the best friends!…
‘This morning is and always will be the viewer’s program. Ben and I know how much people love it and, with the help of an amazing team of people, we will do everything we can to take care of it.