Martin Frizell: Alison Hammond sheds tears on air over departure of This Morning's editor after 10 years

Alison and co-presenter Josie Gibson invited Frizell to join them on the sofa at the end of the show, where they both revealed that it was Martin who had given them their big break on the show.

"He's the one that took a chance on us, transforming mine and Josie's careers," Alison said, her voice breaking with emotion. "It's an incredible opportunity and we just want to say thank you very much. We love you."

"On behalf of the team on This Morning, we think you are incredible and we are so sad to see you go," she continued. Josie added: "I just want to say, thank you so much because you believed in me when I didn't even believe in myself and you grew me as a presenter and I just can't thank you enough."

Martin responded, saying: "If you were rubbish, you wouldn't be on telly. You're very good. It has been a great ride and a fantastic time."

Earlier in the show, Josie had announced Martin’s departure, calling it a "very sad day."

"Today is a very special day, and a very sad day for us, because our editor, Martin, it's his last day," she said, adding that he had been given control of Friday’s jukebox. Alison chimed in, saying, "He's got quite good taste, our editor," as Shania Twain’s Man! I Feel Like A Woman! played in the background.

Martin had announced his decision to step down from the show in November 2024. The 66-year-old said he was leaving to dedicate more time to his wife, TV journalist Fiona Phillips, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2022.

"Next year I'm expecting my family priorities to change, so I need to free up time for them. I love my team at ITV and will miss them and the thrill of live telly, but it's an always-on, 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week commitment, and I won't be able to do both," he said last year.

Reflecting on his tenure, he said, "It's been a privilege to lead truly great presenters and producers. Between us, we've turned out more than six thousand hours of live topical telly, that's around 20,000 items."

"Whilst the gongs are always nice, I'm most proud of the change we made to so many lives, even saving a fair few with our campaigns on anti-suicide, menopause, testicular cancer, and 'how-to' items. This juggernaut is the toughest test for any broadcast journalist."