GMB fans "gutted" as Ben Shephard tearfully departs for This Morning
The presenter was emotional as he closed his final GMB show.
Good Morning Britain viewers were left feeling emotional as Ben Shephard presented his final show on Friday (23rd February).
The TV presenter recently confirmed his departure from the early morning show for a new role on fellow ITV programme, This Morning.
Shephard will join the show in March as a regular presenter alongside Cat Deeley, with the pair replacing Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, who left the programme last year.
Closing GMB on Friday, Shephard said in an emotional speech: "I wouldn't be able to do this if you lot weren't amazing and hadn't been such fabulous friends and brilliant colleagues. The team behind the cameras and everybody, thank you to them."
He continued: "And thank you to the viewers as well, for trusting me to wake you up in the morning with this amazing team.
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"Thank you, thank you for making this so special."
And it appears Shephard wasn’t the only one feeling emotional about his departure, with fans flocking to social media to express their disappointment.
"Gutted Ben is leaving he is one of my absolute favourites grew up watching gmtv before school aswell [sic]," one fan penned on Twitter, which was recently re-branded as X.
"Ben shepherd [sic] is so genuine, we need more people like him in the industry. He will be missed on the show," another fan added.
Earlier in the episode, Kate Garraway shared some heartwarming tributes to mark her co-host's final day.
"Some people couldn't be here and did want to have the chance to say goodbye," she explained, before sharing video messages from Shephard's supporters.
As well as goodbyes from his GMB colleagues Laura Tobin and Dr Hilary Jones, Shephard also received messages from two of his favourite West Ham footballers, Carlton Cole and Mark Noble.
"Ben, your last day mate. You were there on my last day as a West Ham player, so it's only right to send you a message," said Noble.
"Have a great day mate, probably you'll be crying instead of me this time. Love ya."
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Ben said: "That's Mark Noble. I was with Mark this day we played Manchester City, it was his last game and he was incredibly emotional in that stadium."
He added: "Wow, thank you… That's amazing."
Later on in the programme, the likes of Susanna Reid, Alex Beresford and Charlotte Hawkins joined Shephard on the sofa to bid farewell and watch a segment of his best moments from over the years.
Good Morning Britain airs every weekday from 6am on ITV. Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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