Good Morning Britain's Chief Correspondent Richard Gaisford delivered his final report for the show on Wednesday 24 December. The journalist has been working for ITV for 25 years, having first began reporting on major news events for breakfast television on February 14, 2000.
Richard's colleagues, hosts Charlotte Hawkins and Ed Balls, paid tribute to the "exceptional journalist" during his final broadcast, in which the presenter was reporting live from Westminster on the King's upcoming Christmas Day speech, which was recorded in Westminster Abbey.
© ITVCharlotte, 50, described the journalist as a "much loved member of our team" and said he would be "very much missed".
Meanwhile, Ed thanked Richard on behalf of the viewers for "finding truth, objectivity and telling all of us what's really going on with that extra special bit of analysis that we've always got from you."
As he signed off, Richard said: "It's been a privilege. I have had the best job in television news, and I've worked with the most incredible people.
"I will miss all of you immensely and wish you the best of luck with what happens next year. I'm out there looking for some new adventures," he added.
Viewers bid farewell to Richard
Viewers shared well wishes to Richard on social media, with one person writing: "Good Luck with the future. I remember when you first started and it feels like yesterday. You will be missed," while another added: "Congratulations Richard, what an incredible run. All the best for the future."
Piers Morgan, who hosted Good Morning Britain from 2015 to 2021, praised Richard as one of the "all-time great" correspondents in a post to X. "One of the all-time great morning TV correspondents, and as you can see from his sign-off, an incredibly classy guy too," he penned, adding: "Loved working with him for 5yrs. Congrats on an amazing run, Richard."
© ShutterstockRichard's ITV career
Richard joined GMTV in February 2000 as a correspondent and became Chief Correspondent six years later.
He was the first UK broadcast journalist to report live from Basra in Iraq in 2003. Over this career, Richard has reported on the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, the death of Nelson Mandela in South Africa, the funeral of Pope John Paul II and Robert Mugabe's downfall in Zimbabwe.
© ITVIn 2011, Richard was chosen to travel with Prince William and Princess Kate to Canada on their first Royal Tour. He also anchored coverage of the 2008 Olympics from Beijing and reported on the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
In recent years, Richard has reported live from Ukraine amidst the ongoing conflict with Russia.
