‘Take Kate with you’: Good Morning Britain viewers despair over Ben Shephard’s departure

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Good Morning Britain viewers have been asking outgoing presenter Ben Shephard to convey his longtime co-host Kate Garraway with him as he strikes to This Morning.

ITV introduced on Friday (16 February) that Shephard can be leaving GMB and, alongside with presenter Cat Deeley, would exchange former This Morning internet hosting duo Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, who each dramatically left the present final 12 months.

Shephard has been presenting GMB since 2014 alongside his co-host and buddy Garraway, and his departure from the present implies that viewers won’t get to see the internet hosting duo on screens every morning.

The pair met after they each joined GMTV in 2003 and moved to GMB collectively when it was launched.

While viewers have been expressing their well-wishes for Shephard in his new function, others have been asking that his presenting associate of 20 years, Garraway, joins him on This Morning.

“Please take Kate with you,” wrote one individual in response to Shephard’s Instagram publish saying his transfer.

“Best of luck…just wish Kate was going with you! Best pairing on tv!” chimed one viewer.

“Great news for This Morning but sad @benshephardofficial will not be with his lovely friend @kategarraway. Ben and Kate together on This Morning would be amazing, they work so well together as well as being best friends,” added one other.

Some viewers remarked that Shephard has earnt a “well-deserved” lie-in, since This Morning begins on ITV 4 hours later than GMB.

“Congratulations Ben…blimey you deserve those lie ins,” wrote one viewer.

Speaking about his departure from the present, Shepherd mentioned that “one of the hardest decisions” to make was to go away his “on-screen wife” Garraway.

“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.”

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Posting on Instagram, Shephard mentioned: “Ten years has flown by at GMB. I’ve loved every minute, (well not those minutes immediately after the alarm goes off at 3.30am) but all the others have been incredible.

“I will miss working with them and the whole team – and I’m very grateful that they are just next door so that whenever I get nostalgic I know they aren’t too far away.”

In a press release about his new appointment, Shephard mentioned: “This really feels like a very special moment for Cat and I to be part of the next chapter of This Morning. It’s an honour to be trusted with the reigns, join Alison and Dermot and all the team that work on and off screen and do such a great job.

Following the news, Garraway shared a post on Instagram congratulating Shephard and Deeley on the appointment.

“Massive congrats to @benshephardofficial on the @itv @thismorning gig,” she wrote.

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

“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,” she added.

Deeley, who known as the daytime present “a national institution”, mentioned of her new function: “This Morning is and always will be the viewer’s show. Ben and I both know how much people love it, and with the help of an amazing team of people, we’re going to do our best to take care of it.”

Shephard and Deeley will host episodes from Monday to Thursday, and Dermot O’Leary and Alison Hammond will current the Friday episode as common.