Piers Morgan and Dan Walker's breakfast TV clash is over - but it doesn't seem like their toxic feud is coming to an end anytime soon.
The rival breakfast TV presenters have been arguing publicly for years with one clearly taking a far more bitter stance than the other.
Outspoken former Good Morning Britain host Piers has been repeatedly taking cheap shots at Dan on social media and live on air, mostly commenting on their ratings war and interview styles.
While Dan initially tried to resist getting dragged down to Piers' level, the BBC Breakfast host has then started fighting back with his own sensational take downs.
And Dan could not resist the chance to get a final dig at Piers after it was announced he had sensationally quit GMB following his controversial Meghan Markle comments.
But where did this vicious rivalry come from and is it genuine or just for show?
Viewing figures
Tensions first started to flare on Twitter when Piers started to boast about GMB's viewing figures - then went on the attack against the BBC.
As far back as 2017, Piers was regularly trying to wind up Dan by claiming GMB was closing the gap between the two rival shows.
"He hates that we still get double the audience every morning, despite all the money they’ve spent on GMB," Dan admitted to Radio Times last year.
Piers couldn't help but have a dig when Dan shared a snap of the whole BBC Breakfast team in June last year and proudly boasted about being "the number one breakfast show on TV - by some distance".
Claiming the gap between BBC Breakfast and GMB was closing, Piers tweeted: "Factcheck: a much smaller distance than when Dan joined...
"In fact, this week we closed the gap to the smallest distance ever."
In a savage final remark, which has now come back to haunt him, Piers questioned Dan's future on breakfast TV.
Piers added: "Please don't get fired mate!"
But Piers may have got the last laugh, as his final episode of Good Morning Britain was watched by a whopping 1.29 million viewers on Tuesday morning.
While overnight BARB figures revealed BBC Breakfast only managed 1.25 million, meaning it was beaten by GMB for the first time since the ITV show launched in April 2014.
Unrepentant Piers shared his delight at finally defeating Dan's show by tweeting: "BREAKING NEWS: Good Morning Britain beat BBC Breakfast in the ratings yesterday for the first time.
He added: "My work is done"
Piers gets personal
The usually mild-mannered presenter managed to resist the taunts for a while until Piers started making it personal.
Piers hit where it hurts in July 2017 when he trolled his BBC rival over his salary - asking Dan if he would come on GMB to discuss his pay.
Hitting back with a hilarious take down, Dan tweeted: "Would love to but I'm a bit busy presenting the nation's number 1 breakfast show with @louiseminchin Have a good one."
Not deterred, Piers replied: "Is that the one losing viewers at the same rate we're gaining them?"
When the salaries of BBC staff were announced, Piers mocked Dan's salary, claiming it was "one eighth of a Lineker".
Enough is enough for Dan
If that wasn't bad enough, Piers then decided to target popular BBC Breakfast weather presenter Carol Kirkwood.
When lovely Carol picked up a Television and Radio Industries Club award, Piers claimed it went to "somebody from a rival show that nobody watches" on GMB the next morning.
He jokingly added: "The winner was someone that is universally reviled around the world isn’t she?"
Dan decided enough was enough and chose to fight back against Piers when no one else would.
"I fight back because nobody else does," Dan told Radio Times.
"In the noise that circulates around him, I don’t care what he says about me, only when he pokes fun at Breakfast, or has a pop at Carol Kirkwood or at our viewers."
Piers turns violent
There was even violence at one stage when Piers stunned GMB viewers by venting his anger at BBC Breakfast with a hammer.
After arriving at work to find a mug with a BBC Breakfast logo on in December 2017, Piers began smashing it on the floor.
The mug had been a cheeky gift from GMB producer Neil Thompson, who had visited Dan and posed for a snap on the BBC Breakfast sofa.
"It's not at all the right time, Neil, to put a BBC Breakfast mug in front of me," cried Piers as he smashed it into tiny pieces.
He added: "Apparently health and safety are upset - do one."
Tears 4 Piers
With the rivalry increasing, Piers continued to see how far he could push Dan and utilised every opportunity that presented itself.
When a BBC caption blunder saw Dan being introduced as Charlie Stayt in February 2018, Piers tweeted: "Imagine presenting a breakfast show where even your own staff have no clue who you are."
Giving as good as he got, Dan humiliated Piers by pointing out that Ben Shephard got more viewers when he presented GMB.
Using Piers' own stat-based attacks against him, Dan tweeted: "Imagine presenting a breakfast show where your replacement gets more viewers than you Mon 5th Feb (your last Monday) average GMB audience 664,000 Mon 12th Feb (1st one without you) 703,000 #Awkward #BringBackBen #TheGoodShephard #Tears4Piers Nice to have you back"
Surprising friendship
Away from the social media rows, the rival presenters have actually hung out together and had a laugh.
“I like Piers. He’s a very good broadcaster and they do a great job on GMB. Calling me a ‘snivelling sycophant’… That’s the way he operates," Dan told Radio Times.
"Outside all the froth, somewhere inside there is probably a decent bloke.”
The epic feud has escalated during lockdown, but the pair did find some common ground when Dan stood by his rival during a classic spat with Lord Sugar.
The Apprentice boss lashed out at Piers after he blasted Brits for sunbathing in parks as the coronavirus crisis worsened in April this year.
Uniting for possibly the first time ever, Dan hit back at Lord Sugar by telling him it was disrespectful that people weren't staying at home.
Their alliance did not last long as Piers came up with a savage new nickname for Dan amid another vicious Twitter feud - "Halo Boy".
Dan told to 'get a grip'
Piers' frustration at not being allowed to speak to cabinet minsters last year led him to lash out at poor Dan.
The GMB host was furious with Health Secretary Matt Hancock for declining to appear on his show amid a government "boycott" during the coronavirus pandemic.
But Mr Hancock was interviewed by Dan on the BBC, where he claimed testing figures "didn't add anything to the battle against coronavirus" and didn't help people with lockdown "at a local level".
Piers tuned in and immediately slammed this response, before taking aim at Dan over his interview technique suggesting he gave him an easy ride.
He stunned co-host Susanna Reid as he shouted: "Get in there Walker, for goodness sake man."
Piers then erupted over the Health Secretary's comments too, before suggesting viewers would not get the answers they wanted amid the coronavirus pandemic if they tuned into the "waffle" of the BBC.
Soon after, Dan took to Twitter with a response Piers took to be aimed at him, stating it is important to let politicians speak and claims he didn't challenge Mr Hancock were "untrue".
Piers read it out on air mimicking his voice before lashing out at him again, but Susanna warned Dan not to take the bait.
"Come on Dan, get a grip son... poor Dan," yelled Piers in a mocking tone.
Piers later returned to Twitter to take one final swipe at the BBC host, writing: "Mate, you blew it. Calm down."
Meghan Markle row
When Piers Morgan stormed off Good Morning Britain on Tuesday during a clash with co-star Alex Beresford, Dan couldn't resist a cheeky dig.
Alongside a photo posing with his BBC Breakfast co-host Louise Minchin, Dan wrote: "This was taken a few seconds before I stormed off set because Carol said it was going to be chilly this weekend"
Clearly not happy, Piers responded in his usual manner by bringing up their rival shows' ratings.
"I'm surprised BBC bosses didn't storm in and drag you off set after yesterday's ratings came in," tweeted Piers.
Dan then congratulated Piers on GMB's ratings, but pointed out that BBC Breakfast's were also strong.
He also addressed Piers' comment that he did not believe what Meghan Markle said during her tell-all interview with Ophra Winfrey.
Dan added: "In other news... I hope my boss would have dragged me off set if I’d used my platform - on national TV - to tell a pregnant woman, speaking openly about suicidal thoughts, that I didn’t believe a word she said."
Dan offers Piers a job
As it was announced he would no longer be going up against Piers, Dan couldn't resist making a cheeky dig.
He even often his rival a job on BBC Breakfast, which would be quite the transfer.
Tweeting directly at Piers, Dan sassily quipped: "Sorry to hear the news about your departure from GMB @piersmorgan If you’d like to come on the UK’s number 1 breakfast show to talk about it... we could make some space for you in the morning."
Dan then appeared to have a slight change of heart as he followed this up by saying he was going to miss 'jousting' with the outspoken presenter.
"I know Piers a little away from TV & I’ve always found him to be great company (as I’ve said many times). I’m sure that underneath the fluff, guff & occasional bile is a decent bloke fighting to get out," said Dan.
"I will miss our jousting and I’m sure we’ll see him back on the box soon," he said.
Dan has also hit out at the nasty trolls who have been sending vile comments on Twitter.
"To all the shouty, sweary people telling me I’m nothing like you know who... thank you," tweeted Dan, who then hit out at GMB.
"If you want a programme happy to exploit issues like mental health to create controversy, division & clicks I’m delighted to say... you’re in the wrong place. Have a wonderful Wednesday."
