Ben Shephard’s final day hosting Good Morning Britain proved to be quite an emotional one.
The daytime star has been with GMB since it relaunched in 2014, but is stepping down after a decade to make the jump to This Morning, where he and Cat Deeley are set to take over from Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby.
Friday marked Ben’s final day on the show he’s called home for the past decade, with his colleagues surprising him with heartfelt video messages at the beginning of the broadcast.
Alongside messages from GMB staples Laura Tobin and Dr Hilary Jones, Ben was treated to good luck wishes from West Ham legends Mark Noble and Carlton Cole.
Reacting to the montage, Ben said simply: “It’s Mark Noble…”
Ben was joined in the studio on his last day by colleagues Kate Garraway, Richard Arnold and Andi Peters.
Susanna Reid also began the day by honouring the “best in the business” with a throwback to their very first meeting a decade ago.
Ben previously admitted that moving to This Morning was a decision he made “very, very carefully, because these guys have been family for the last 10 years, for some of them”.
“It’s not something I’ve taken lightly, but it feels like quite an exciting opportunity,” he said during his penultimate show on Thursday.
He joked: “It’s literally the other side of the wall, so I’m really not going far.”
This Morning has been without a permanent presenting team since the much-publicised departures of Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby last year.
Back in May, Phillip announced he would be leaving This Morning after more than 20 years, following reports in the press that he and co-host Holly had fallen out behind the scenes.
A week later, he confirmed he had resigned from ITV altogether, after admitting to having lied to bosses about an affair with a younger colleague on the daytime show.
Holly then took an extended break from This Morning, and returned in the summer, only to resign from the show herself in October following an alleged plot to kidnap her.
She made a return to our screens last month at the helm of Dancing On Ice, where Stephen Mulhern has taken over co-presenting duties.
Ben and Cat will host their first show on This Morning together next month.
Good Morning Britain airs every weekday from 6am on ITV1, while This Morning airs at 10am.