Eamonn Holmes says farewell but gets cut off mid-senten...

The Northern Irish presenter, 56, was being hugged by co-stars Nazaneen Ghaffar, Isabel Webster and Jacquie Beltrao in the final moments but the broadcast ended abruptly as he said “why would I go...”.

Prior to the awkward ending, Holmes had thanked viewers for “putting up” with him for over a decade in his goodbye speech.

He said: “Thank you very much indeed for putting up with me in all that time. In 11 years, I have had to report on some awful news, but I’ve also had to report on some really fantastic news as well, some really uplifting news and we should have more of that.

“But, the main thing is, it’s not important who presents the news, the news is the important thing.”

He urged viewers to “keep on watching it, keep on doing it” and that “Sunrise and the news continues” following his departure.

The day before his final show, Holmes had asked fans on Twitter to tune in to “join me for the last day”.

Last month, Holmes, who also hosts ITV’s This Morning with his wife Ruth Langsford every Friday morning, confirmed his departure from the daily breakfast programme via a post on his Facebook page.

Holmes has presented Sunrise since 2005, following his departure from ITV’s GMTV, which he co-hosted for 12 years.

Announcing his departure in September, Holmes said: “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.”

He had to apologise earlier this year after being accused of comparing an attack on the Manchester United team bus by West Ham supporters to the Hillsborough disaster which led to deaths of 96 Liverpool fans.

Holmes will be replaced as anchor by Sarah-Jane Mee, who will be joined by new co-host Jonathan Samuels, currently the senior correspondent for Sky News.

The pair will present Sunrise from a new glass studio in Sky’s recently opened workspace, Sky Central, from late October.