Veteran newsreader Simon McCoy has quit GB News as Eammon Holmes joins the ‘start-up’ channel’s breakfast team.
McCoy will be the second well-known figure to exit the free-to-air news channel. The channel has struggled since Andrew Neil, ex-BBC broadcaster and political broadcaster, stepped down earlier in the year as its chairman.
The 60 year-old quit BBC News nearly 18 years ago to start GB News. In March, he joined GB News as a presenter of The Great British Breakfast.
Simon McCoy (left), who left BBC News nearly 18 years ago, joined GB News in March. There, he presented The Great British Breakfast together with Kirsty Galacher (right).
However, GB News informed The Metro on Friday that McCoy had resigned from the station for ‘personal reasons’. A representative of McCoy also confirmed his departure to The Metro.
Angelos Frangopoulos, CEO of GB News said that Simon was an exceptional broadcaster. “We will continue to work with him in the future.
McCoy has yet to make comments about his exit from the channel.
Twitter has gone viral with many funny tweets about the reactions of the anchorman.
McCoy made headlines on BBC in January when he said there would be a package with the “highlights 2020”, only for it to disappear from the screen. The news anchor responded by saying, “Exactly, it’s goodbye 2020.”
Inadvertently, he also began his news report using a pack of refill paper for A4 printer papers in his hand instead of an iPad.
He reacted angrily to social media users ridiculing the fact that his show had seen zero viewers for a week during July.
When asked by Twitter if he’d quit, he said no.
‘No. I’ve been there before. He replied at that time, “A new news channel.”
‘All the same jokes back then – cheaper to send the videos round to viewers by bike etc etc .. the channel was Sky News. It takes time. We’ll get there. #GBNews.’
McCoy now becomes the second most prominent person to quit free-air channel. The channel has struggled since Andrew Neil, ex-BBC broadcaster and political journalist (pictured on the channel), was elected chairman.
GB News announced that Eammon Holmes, 62-year-old journalist and TV presenter, would host a program in the New Year. This will leave ITV.
McCoy shocked everyone when he announced that he was leaving BBC News.
Before joining Sky News in 1989, he had worked as a reporter at Fleet Street News agency Thames News.
It was confirmed by GB News by GB News. McCoy will now be replaced as a breakfast presenter by Eamonn, an ITV veteran.
Isabel Webster will join Holmes on the program after Kirsty Galacher (breakfast host) confirmed last week that Holmes was going to be taking a break after finding a tumour in one of her ears.
Webster and Holmes were together on Sky News’ Sunrise for a while. They will be hosting a three-and-a half hour new breakfast show, GB News, starting in January.
Holmes celebrated his arrival on the channel by saying that he had spent his career in broadcasting and started start-ups. GB News was one of the most thrilling. It is exactly the kind of disruption the industry requires.
GB News has been a favorite of mine since the start for its intelligent mix of punchy and light-hearted debate, delivered with warmth as well as some humor.
‘To me, the greatest honor in journalism is giving voice to and respecting the unseen. That’s what GB News is all for.
Also, he tweeted “Here’s the news… He also tweeted: ‘Here is the news…I am joining GB News starting in the New Year. I hope you will join me. I’d like to extend my sincere thanks and compliments for the season.
Alongside wife Ruth Langsford, Eamonn has been a regular fixture on This Morning for 15 years.
Eamonn is pictured with Ruth Langsford, her wife in 2007. Eamonn was a fixture on This Morning since 2007
Twitter: “Here’s the latest… From the new year, I will be joining GB News. We hope that you can join us and I wish you all the best. We wish you all a happy season and many thanks for supporting us.
ITV announced in November that Ruth and Eamonn would be leaving Friday’s show. Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary will take their places.
They host the same daytime show during holidays.
Holmes was the GMTV host before This Morning. He has worked on radio with slot assignments at stations such as Radio 5 Live and Magic and BBC Radio 2.
Eamonn expressed hope that GB News had a decent chance’ after it was launched this year.
Previous tweets by him included: “We need to shake up the news front. While I respect TV news tremendously, it is important to remember that the news world is not only Westminster but also a constantly woke agenda.
On November 30, it was announced that Ruth and Eamonn (who fill in for Holly Willoughby on Fridays) had been removed from their weekly slot and were being replaced by Alison and Dermot.
ITV announced in November that Ruth and Eamonn would be leaving Friday’s show. Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary will take their places.
Eamonn was a former frontman of ITV’s GMTV morning show, which hosted its inaugural broadcast in 1993. His appearance was with Lorraine Kelly and Kate Garraway.
Ruth and Eamonn both issued a similar statement that read, “It is a changing the guard Fridays beginning January. We wish you would make Alison und Dermot feel just as comfortable as you have over the years.
“Have fun with your !… friends” You don’t have to say Goodbye; it’s just Au Revoir till the next half-term.
Eamonn is the most recent addition to fledgling GB News.
He has children Declan (32), Rebecca (30), Niall (28), and Jack (19) with Gabrielle.
Declan’s birth with Jenny, Jenny’s son, made the journalist a grandfather.
His words were: “My son Declan, and Jenny are the happy couple.” Emelia was born to Jenny, who weighs 7lbs 6oz.
He previously fronted ITV’s breakfast show GMTV, hosting its first ever broadcast in 1993. Along with fellow ITV legends, Lorraine Kelly and Kate Garraway, he appeared.
However, he decided to leave the long-running program in 2005. He felt it was becoming too celebrity-focused and did not cover any important news.
After leaving Sky’s Sunrise, the presenter moved to Sky with Charlotte Hawkins. He later left for ITV. In 2006, the star returned to The Channel with Ruth as This Morning’s Friday presenter.
Ruth was a past guest presenter since 1999.
Eamonn has resigned again just months following a slap on the face for not allowing the state narrative to be used to reject bizarre 5G/coronavirus theories.
After making comments on This Morning, he said that there is no correlation between the national health emergency of today and 5G. He also stated on air that to suggest otherwise would not be right and could prove dangerous.
Eamonn is pictured receiving an honorary doctorate at Queens University in Belfast for services to broadcasting alongside Ruth in 2006
Eamonn has children Declan, 32; Rebecca, 30; Niall, 28. Gabrielle, his ex-wife, and Jack, 19, their son with Ruth. (Both pictured after they announced that they were expecting a baby)
Ruth Langsford will probably be looking at her options, after Eamonn quit This Morning 15 years ago (pictured in This Morning 2013).
Eamonn joins former Sky anchor Colin Brazier and Alastair Stewart from ITV News, BBC journalist Simon McCoy, former Labour MP Gloria De Piero on-air talent
Stephen Dixon, the broadcaster for Sky News, said that in November he had joined Channel One after almost 22 years of service with Sky.
Eamonn’s move represents a major coup for GB News – the free-to-air news channel that had a stuttering start after ex-BBC political broadcaster Andrew Neil stepped down as the chairman and host of a prime-time show.
Since the launch of the channel, 72-year-old Had been gone for two weeks. Later, he said that he had ‘come close to a collapse’ from stress caused by technical difficulties at the station.