EAMONN Holmes has announced that he will leave Sky News after 11 years of anchoring his breakfast show.
The 56-year old Belfast native took to Facebook to share the news and expressed his gratitude to Sky: “It was the job I hoped to do as a young Belfast lad – and because of Sky News I got there!”
Holmes said Sky News made his “boyhood dreams” come true, but said that it was time to step down to pursue “other dreams”.
“Increasingly in life, I have found myself in the fortunate position of having so much to do but little time to do it.”
Homes revealed that after 3,000 hours of programming with Sky News, he will now be dipping his toes in the world of documentary filmmaking.
“I will now produce and present a number of documentary projects which I have been stalling on for some time, as well as continuing my work with ITV and Channel 5. There is so much going on and I realised it was now or never.”
Holmes is a stand-in presenter for ITV’s This Morning alongside his wife Ruth Langsford, and also hosts his own celebrity panel show for Channel 5 called It’s Not Me, It’s You.
He thanked Sky’s head of John Ryley for being “very understanding and sympathetic” of his decision to move on, along with the “wider Sky family” for their help and contributions over the years.
“I cannot stress how hard it is saying goodbye to such a programme and the friends and colleagues who I have met over the years because of it – but nothing stays the same – nor should it.
“New studios mean a wonderful chance for new ideas and a new approach with new presenters. I hope they enjoy and respect the privilege of hosting Sunrise and waking up Britain and the world as much as I have.
“To those who have worked or woken up with me on Sky News over the years – thank you. I hope you appreciated that I tried to do it differently.”
Holmes had presented Sunrise since 2005, having previously presented ITV’s GMTV.
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