Presenter says he wants to ‘step away from daily studio commitment’ to pursue new projects – but will continue guesting on ITV’s This Mornin
Eamonn Holmes is to step down as anchor of Sky News’s breakfast show, Sunrise, after 11 years.
Holmes said that he wanted to free up more time to pursue personal projects and needed to “step away from the daily studio commitment for a while”.
“There is an addiction to a live breaking news studio environment,” he said in a Facebook post announcing his departure.
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“However, after more than 3,000 hours of programming it is a habit I have to suppress. Increasingly in life I have found myself in the fortunate position of having so much to do but little time to do it. This seems an opportune moment to change that. Going forward, I will now produce and present a number of documentary projects which I have been stalling for some time.”
His last day on Sunrise will be 13 October.
Holmes said he will continue co-presenting ITV’s This Morning breakfast show with his wife Ruth Langsford. He also works for Channel 5, where he presents game show It’s Not Me, It’s You and documentary series How The Other Half Lives.
He added that while leaving Sunrise was a difficult decision, the opening of new studios at Sky’s headquarters in Osterley provides a chance to completely revamp the programme.
“Nothing stays the same, nor should it,” he said. “New studios mean a wonderful chance for new ideas and a new approach with new presenters.”
Holmes has hosted Sunrise since 2005, following his departure from ITV’s GMTV, which he co-hosted for 12 years.
In 2013, he signed a five-year multimillion-pound deal to stay with the channel amid reports he was being lined up to front ITV’s troubled early morning show Daybreak.
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Holmes is understood to have come to an “amicable agreement” about the early termination of his contract.
He said John Ryley, the head of Sky News, had been “very understanding and sympathetic of my decision”.
“I would like to publicly thank him and the wider Sky family for all their support throughout my time at [Sky headquarters in] Osterley,” Holmes said. “John’s counsel and guidance in helping me to reach this decision has been invaluable.”
Ryley said: “Over the past 11 years, Eamonn has been instrumental in turning Sunrise into a show that has become a morning must-watch and has a faithful following who begin the day with him and his team. There are very few presenters who can challenge their interviewee with acute questions combined with infectious charm – Eamonn does that. A true pro. We wish him the very best of luck in the future.”
Holmes is the latest in a string of on-screen talent, many of them senior or veteran presenters, to leave Sky News as the channel undergoes an overhaul.
In July, it emerged that Andrew Wilson, Lorna Dunkley and Samantha Simmonds were to depart.
And in May the head of content John McAndrew, number three at Sky News, announced his departure after 11 years.
Holmes said that he wanted to free up more time to pursue personal projects and needed to “step away from the daily studio commitment for a while”.
“There is an addiction to a live breaking news studio environment,” he said in a Facebook post announcing his departure.
Mark Longhurst leaves Sky News in cost-saving restructure
Read more
“However, after more than 3,000 hours of programming it is a habit I have to suppress. Increasingly in life I have found myself in the fortunate position of having so much to do but little time to do it. This seems an opportune moment to change that. Going forward, I will now produce and present a number of documentary projects which I have been stalling for some time.”
His last day on Sunrise will be 13 October.
Holmes said he will continue co-presenting ITV’s This Morning breakfast show with his wife Ruth Langsford. He also works for Channel 5, where he presents game show It’s Not Me, It’s You and documentary series How The Other Half Lives.
He added that while leaving Sunrise was a difficult decision, the opening of new studios at Sky’s headquarters in Osterley provides a chance to completely revamp the programme.
“Nothing stays the same, nor should it,” he said. “New studios mean a wonderful chance for new ideas and a new approach with new presenters.”
Holmes has hosted Sunrise since 2005, following his departure from ITV’s GMTV, which he co-hosted for 12 years.
In 2013, he signed a five-year multimillion-pound deal to stay with the channel amid reports he was being lined up to front ITV’s troubled early morning show Daybreak.
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Holmes is understood to have come to an “amicable agreement” about the early termination of his contract.
He said John Ryley, the head of Sky News, had been “very understanding and sympathetic of my decision”.
“I would like to publicly thank him and the wider Sky family for all their support throughout my time at [Sky headquarters in] Osterley,” Holmes said. “John’s counsel and guidance in helping me to reach this decision has been invaluable.”
Ryley said: “Over the past 11 years, Eamonn has been instrumental in turning Sunrise into a show that has become a morning must-watch and has a faithful following who begin the day with him and his team. There are very few presenters who can challenge their interviewee with acute questions combined with infectious charm – Eamonn does that. A true pro. We wish him the very best of luck in the future.”
Holmes is the latest in a string of on-screen talent, many of them senior or veteran presenters, to leave Sky News as the channel undergoes an overhaul.
In July, it emerged that Andrew Wilson, Lorna Dunkley and Samantha Simmonds were to depart.
And in May the head of content John McAndrew, number three at Sky News, announced his departure after 11 years.
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