Ben Shephard has hosted his final edition of Good Morning Britain, marking the end of his tenure on the ITV breakfast show before he takes up a new role co-hosting This Morning with Cat Deeley. He presented his last programme alongside Kate Garraway, with whom he has worked for decades on ITV.
During the show, Shephard reflected on his time at GMB, describing it as "a real privilege" to have covered major events such as the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and the King's Coronation. He added that the standout memories were of the people he worked with and the guests who appeared on the programme.
Fellow presenters Susanna Reid, Charlotte Hawkins, Richard Arnold, Andi Peters, and Sean Fletcher joined Shephard on the sofa to say goodbye. Tributes also came from Lorraine Kelly, Martin Lewis, and Chris Kamara, along with messages from viewers. Folk music group Fisherman's Friends performed a song in his honour.
Joking about his later start time on This Morning, Shephard said: "I'm going to get a lie-in... the alarm going off has never been something I enjoyed." He expressed gratitude to his colleagues and viewers, saying: "It's not lost on me that I wouldn't be able to do it if you lot weren't amazing."
Shephard and Deeley will join This Morning next month, replacing Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby. They will host Monday to Thursday, with Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary continuing on Fridays. Shephard described the move as an "exciting opportunity" and noted that he is "not going far" as the studios are adjacent.
Former GMTV colleagues John Stapleton and Fiona Phillips, along with former football manager Harry Redknapp, also sent messages. Stapleton recalled: "It's 24 years since you walked into that GMTV newsroom and I remember several people saying to me, 'watch that lad, he'll go far'."
