Dan Walker teared up over Carol Kirkwood's poem as he said BBC Breakfast valued 'trust and truth' during his final shift on Tuesday.
Beginning her tribute, Carol told him: “Dan I cannot believe you are leaving. You know, Dan’s been with us for many a year. And when we first heard he was coming, it filled us with fear.
“But how wrong were we. And I say this with glee. He’s been an absolute superstar, and we’ll miss him terribly,” Carol added.
Viewers were then shown the infamous clip of Carol being pulled over by an excited dog, landing flat on her face with her legs in the air during a live segment on BBC Breakfast last year, prompting Dan to burst into fits of giggles.
“Dan, don’t go! Just stay! We love you! It’s been such a joy working with you, and a privilege, but I wish you well, and make sure you stay in touch. We love you!” Carol said, blowing a kiss to the camera.
“Oh Carol,” Dan said, as the camera panned back to the studio.
“I’m really thankful that I’ve had so many incredible memories of working on this programme, and wonderful moments that this role has given me,” he said, looking around the studio.
“There aren’t many jobs where you get the chance to give a voice to people who don’t have a voice, and tell other people’s stories, and that’s what we love doing more than anything else,” Dan said.
The presenter said it was a “real privilege” to be co-hosting the breakfast show, and thanked viewers for tuning in, and watching them every day.
“It's safe to say that I, and all of us, never take any of that for granted - the fact that people watch this programme and enjoy this programme,” he said.
“To be serious for a minute, I think at a time when trust and truth have never been more important, it’s great to work with a team, who I know because I see this every single day, and we do everything to make sure that what we do and what we say is fair and accurate,” he said.
“And that is so important,” he poignantly concluded.
