Ben Shephard faces toughest decision: 'learned so much'

Ben Shephard, 49, shares heartfelt sentiments for his Good Morning Britain co-host and 'on-screen wife of 20 years', Kate Garraway, as he prepares for his transition to This Morning.

The broadcaster, who has been confirmed as the new host of ITV's This Morning alongside Cat Deeley, 47, following extensive speculation, reflects on the difficulty of no longer presenting alongside his friend Kate, 56, describing it as the 'toughest decision' prior to accepting the role as Phillip Schofield's replacement.

The beloved television personality, who has been a host on GMB since 2014, also mentions that the adjacent studios will facilitate easy catch-ups with his colleagues.

Saying: 'One of the hardest decisions of course is knowing that my mornings with Kate, my on-screen wife of nearly 20 years, is coming to an end'.

Touching on her recent loss of beloved husband Derek Draper Ben continued: 'Her journey has been well documented, and I think we would all agree how remarkable she has been over the last four years'.

'I won’t miss the mess but I’ve learned so much from her, as I have from all of the people I’ve been lucky enough to work alongside'.

Following the news Kate took to Instagram to congratulate Ben and Cat, while admitting just how much she would miss working with him.

Alongside a snap of them laughing she wrote: 'Massive congrats to @benshephardofficial on the @itv @thismorning gig'.

'You’ll be SOOOOO missed by EVERYONE @gmb viewers and the team alike & ofcourse especially me. BUT after 24 years hard labour by my side no one will begrudge you time off for good behaviour!!!'

Before adding: 'Good luck swapping early starts for (abit) of a lie in and a Kate for a Cat! @catdeeley can’t wait to see you - you’ll have a ball'

Cat and Ben have been locked in talks for some months following the exit of Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield and are now set to make their debut next month following the news.