Ben Shephard signs off GMTV: 'Let's have a lie-in'

Ben Shephard signs off GMTV: 'Let's have a lie-in'
Ben Shephard signs off GMTV: 'Let's have a lie-in' (Image credit: PA Archive/Press Association Ima)

Ben Shephard told viewers 'I will miss you all' as he quit the GMTV sofa after a decade, adding: "Let's have a lie-in." The father-of-two, who has landed a contract to become a presenter on Sky Sports, was treated to various good luck messages from his 'GMTV wives'. Shephard's departure from GMTV was confirmed in April and he is among a wave of presenters who are leaving as the ITV1 breakfast show undergoes a massive shake-up. GMTV is soon to be revamped under the name Daybreak, when former One Show presenters Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley will take the helm. Shephard hugged his co-host Kate Garraway, and smiled as he gave viewers a wave. Offered the last word by Garraway, Shephard joked: "I've waited for you to say that for 10 years." He said his wife Annie had told him he had 'nearly become a grown-up' while working on the show. He paid tribute to the 'fantastic' people he had worked with, including 'the guys in the gallery who shout at us'". He said of those who work behind the scenes: "They do all the hard work, we're just the muppets up the front that do as we're told and get the glory. I'm going to miss Kate more than anything in the world, it's been an absolute pleasure." Addressing viewers, he continued: "And I'm going to miss all of you, every single one of you. "Thank you so much for inviting me into your houses, into your bedrooms, into your bathrooms, into your kitchens. I will miss you all, I thank you for all the messages. There's lots of things going on and I'm sure I'm going to see you again. But for the time being, let's have a lie in."

Patrick McLennan

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix. 


An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.