Ben Shephard walks away from 'experience of a lifetime' to spend more time with his sons

Ben Shephard must be one of the hardest working men in television. Between Good Morning Britain, Tipping Point and Goals on Sunday, the TV presenter can be found on our tellies almost every day of the week.

But after this Sunday that will change. Shephard is giving up his Sunday morning football presenter role to spend more time with his family.

With the final show going out this weekend, the native Londoner took to social media to thank the show’s fans, his co-presenter Chris Kamara and Sky Sports for the fun he’s had over the nine years Goals on Sunday’s been on the box.

“It’s been the experience of a lifetime working with the legend that is @chris_kammy , who I’m delighted to say isn’t just a colleague but a great friend that has taught me so much - both professionally and personally (not least in the bar!) Thank you to all our viewers, the guests and especially @SkySports for trusting me with two of the gems in their line up - Kammy and Goals on Sunday!!

He explained his reasons for leaving the sports show to the Mirror. "My boys are at an age when they need me around, perhaps even more now than when they were younger.

“Now they're teenagers, Sam is taller than me and Jack is not far behind, which I'm trying to come to terms with. They're consumed by schoolwork all week, the weekend is the only time I can spend with them.”

The tipping point came with one of his sons recently. "Jack got upset, because I haven't been able to go to his cricket matches. We had conversations and I reassured him it would soon be over.”

"Both have football and rugby on Sunday mornings, which I've never been able to go to because of work."

"So Saturday is the only day I get to spend with the boys and because I'm tired it's often a washout.

"Doing Goals on Sunday has been amazing, but I can see that not only will we all benefit as a family, but I'll benefit too from being more involved in their weekend life. If there are things we can share, football, cricket, golf, these are days that I will be able to cherish for a long, long time."

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Shephard’s co-presenter football pundit Chris Kamara replied to his friend’s Tweet. Simply saying, “Will miss you Shep.”

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It was a sentiment shared by many of the shows fans who also commented on the post. But Shephard seemed to suggest his partnership with Sky wasn’t over just yet.

He ended his message by saying, “I’m really looking forward to working with Sky Sports in the future and I know Kammy and I will have more adventures to come. #GOS#easylikeasundaymorning.”