Eamonn Holmes stunned This Morning's loyal fanbase with reports he is to leave the show after 15 years.
However, some armchair detectives have suggested the popular presenter has been dropping hints for months that he was about to jump ship to a rival station.
The Mirror exclusively revealed the 61-year-old is set to join controversial news channel GB News, where he will front his own show several times a week.
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Further details of the veteran TV presenter’s new job have yet to be confirmed, but it is thought he will start the role at some point in the new year.
As he previously presented This Morning with wife Ruth Langsford it remains to be seen it she will stay on the ITV show, but sources tell The Mirror it is "unlikely".
We take a look back at Eamonn's last year on the award-winning daytime show that saw him sidelined by producers in favour or Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary.
With the veteran presenter appearing to drop some huge clues he was ready for change.
Publicly supporting GB News
Although Eamonn is one of the biggest and most long-standing stars of ITV, he publicly threw his support behind new TV channel GB News when it launched this summer.
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The 24-hour channel is the biggest to launch in the UK in the past 30 years and aims to provide “original news, opinion and debate”.
Controversial presenters such as former Ukip leader Nigel Farage and ex-Sun editor Dan Wootton already work there.
After a host of technical difficulties, chairman and main presenter Andrew Neil stepped down just two weeks after the launch saying the stress had brought him “close to a breakdown”.
But despite all this and initial poor ratings, Eamonn claimed it was only fair to give GB News “a decent chance”. Although some claim it will become a Fox-News style channel.
Eamonn said at the time: “We need a shake-up on the news front. I have huge respect for TV news, but this is a reminder news is not just Westminster or a constant woke agenda.”
Worries he would be 'cancelled'
Only a couple of months ago, Eamonn admitted he constantly feared losing his job after being "cancelled" by fans.
The Northern Irish presenter is not afraid to speak his mind, but says he risked being sacked as a result.
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He told the Daily Star: “It's a minefield, I worry all the time.
"I know I’m the most tolerant, caring, open-minded person but that doesn’t stop me saying that something is wrong or right, or having a joke.
"But there are people who wake up wanting to be offended and they literally want you sacked."
Perhaps it’s just as well he is defecting to GB News, which claims to be “anti-woke”.
Ofcom complaints
Eamonn infuriated ITV bosses at the height of the pandemic when he made comments on This Morning suggesting covid was caused by 5G phone masts.
The conspiracy theory had been doing the rounds on the internet and in a segment with wife Ruth, Eamonn appeared to back the myth.
At the time he said: “What I don’t accept is mainstream media immediately slapped that down as not true, when they don’t know it’s not true.”
“It’s very easy to say it is not true because it suits the state narrative,” he added.
Scientists and politicians were quick to dismiss the theory as “complete rubbish” – and it seems viewers didn’t take kindly to it either as over 400 people complained to Ofcom.
The broadcasting watchdog called the comments “ill-judged” and issued guidance to ITV and is presenters.
Eamonn was forced to clarify what he said in a later show, but instead of apologising for any confusion, he appeared to blame ITV viewers for “misinterpreting” his comments.
Liking tweets slating ITV bosses
Last year Eamonn and his wife Ruth were controversially moved from their regular slots as This Morning's Friday presenters and replaced by Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary.
Following the announcement, Eamonn liked a number of tweets from disgruntled fans complaining about the shake-up.
"When you listen to @EamonnHolmes & @RuthieeL and the everyday normal things they get up to, it makes you wonder why management at @thismorning have relegated them to holidays only?
"They deserve a regular spot, bring them back for a weekly slot please, it makes sense! " read one tweet that Eamonn 'favourited.'
Eamonn also raised eyebrows in 2019 by liking a series of tweets that accused Phillip Schofield of taking over during an acceptance speech when the ITV show won a National Television Award for Best Daytime show.
Ruth famously had a falling out with Philip Schofield back in 2019 when he rudely interrupted her on This Morning, leaving her slamming her pen down in fury.
She later made an official complaint about Philip, suggesting all is not well behind the scenes of the long-running ITV show.
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