BEN Shephard fought back tears as his Good Morning Britain co-stars gave him a big send-off on today's show.
The popular TV star is moving on from the programme to host ITV's This Morning with Cat Deeley.
Ben said: "The alarm going off has never been anything I’ve enjoyed. But what I have known is as soon as I get in here, I’m going to be surrounded by you brilliant, incredible, gorgeous, talented, challenging, chaotic, fabulous people that make me better at what I do.
“It’s not lost on me that I wouldn’t be able to do if you lot weren’t amazing and hadn’t been such fabulous friends and colleagues.
"I can only cope with this because I know I’m not going very far. These guys are going to carry on doing an incredible job, and I’m going to get a lie in. But in a couple of weeks, I will be able to welcome you back from school run, whatever your morning routine is, with a cup of tea and chat next door.”
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It's an emotional upheaval for many at the channel who have worked closely with Ben over the years.
Andi Peters gave Ben his big break in television at T4 in the 90s, and struggled to hold it together at times during the show.
The pair have been good friends for over two decades and shared endless amounts of banter on air over the years.
And it all got a bit much for Andi today as Ben's departure for the new world of This Morning suddenly dawned on him.
He had to take a deep breath and compose himself as tears filled his eyes while reading through the latest competition.
Prior to that, Ben revealed he visited Andi at his home yesterday.
Andi then gave Ben a big hug and presented him a bobbing head figurine of himself, a little something for Ben to remember him by.
Explaining the present: "For your new dressing room I have something for you, something I think you will really like. I think this will look fantastic in your new This Morning dressing room."
It was an emotional episode with stars past and present paying tribute to the popular broadcaster.
Richard Arnold announced Ben's This Morning start date is Monday, March 11, before getting up to give Ben a hug and telling him: "I love you, mate."
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The likes of Fiona Phillips, John Stapleton and Jenni Falconer all wished Ben luck on his next chapter in video messages from their homes.
Ben's proud wife Annie was watching the action unfold in the studio and Susanna Reid came in on her day off to wave Ben away.
Two of Ben's heroes - meningitis survivor Ella Chadwick and fundraising former Forces veteran Brian Wood - were in attendance too. The latter described Ben as the "perfect human".
West Ham's mascot Bubbles even had a cameo appearance.
Ben's 'work wife' Kate Garraway kept her tribute brief so as not to break down.
She said: "You’re an incredible person, an incredible friend. You’re an incredible broadcaster, and anyone that works with you loves you.
“But I’m going to miss you. It’s been a very long time. I won’t say any more. But we know that you’re going to be fantastic and we all know that we’re also going to be in your life as friends.”
Ben was presented with a signed West Ham football, an alarm clock cake and a blanket with his co-stars' faces on.
He admitted to always hating the early wake up calls but said it was a joy to be in such great company over the years, and he promised he would keep their friendships going when he moved to the studio next door.
There were celebrity messages from the likes of football managers Sam Allardyce and Harry Redknapp and Coronation Street star Patti Clare, who plays florist Mary Taylor in the soap and invited Ben to join her on the cobbles if his new gig doesn't work out.
You're an incredible person, an incredible friend. I'm going to miss you.
Kate Garraway
His close pal Chris Kamara thanked him for "carrying him" through their time presenting Ninja Warrior and Goals on Sunday and expressed his gratitude to Ben for supporting him through his battle with apraxia of speech - a rare neurological condition that affects speech.
Co-star Lorraine Kelly urged him to "not lose his cheekiness" and told him she "loved him very much".
Ranvir Singh read out some of Ben's pet hates and things for new co-host Cat Deeley to take note of. These included his dislike of people eating boiled eggs beside him and breathing on him with Marmite breath.
Ben and Cat landed £550,000 contracts to host This Morning, taking over from former hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby.
GMB legend Ben will be reunited with his former T4 stablemate Dermot O'Leary, who hosts This Morning on Thursday and Friday's with Alison Hammond.
- Visit our This Morning page for the latest updates
