Dan Walker broke his silence on his exit from BBC Breakfast as he joined co-star Sally Nugent on the sofa this morning.
Yesterday, Dan announced that he would be leaving the BBC after 13 years to join Channel 5.
Appearing on BBC Breakfast today to discuss why he was making the move, Dan sat next to his friend and co-host Sally.
"We've been friend for 20 years, we worked together for six months," Sally said emotionally. "And you're off!"
"Yes," he replied. "But as you know - as I explained to you before all the news came out - this has been a really difficult decision for me. Probably the hardest decision I've had to make in my career.
"Because I love you to bits and I love working with you."
"I love you too, Daniel," Sally interjected.
Dan continued: "And I love the team at BBC Breakfast. These six years I've had on this sofa have been the best six years of my career by some distance. But I think sometimes opportunities come by and you have to grab them, don't you?
"I've never ever been motivated by money in any job that I've ever taken and even though I love BBC Breakfast and everybody that works on the show, it's a fantastic opportunity to work with a brilliant team at Channel 5. And also, go an make some other programmes outside of here."
Quizzed on what they might see, he teased that he couldn't give anything away.
"Oh my goodness, I can think of some ideas," Sally joked. "A travel show?"
Laughing, Dan responded: "You're always suggesting shows that I should do. Are you trying to get rid of me?"
She exclaimed: "Finally it's worked! He's going!"
Dan joined BBC's Football Focus in 2009, which he hosted until 2021, when he decided to step down as Alex Scott took over.
He has been presenting BBC Breakfast since 2016 and has also hosted shows on BBC Radio 5 Live and reported for Match of the Day.
*BBC Breakfast airs weekdays on BBC One
