Piers Morgan reportedly tried to quit Good Morning Britain once before and said working on the show was "killing" him because the early starts were affecting his health and turning him into a "zombie".
The telly presenter, 55, sensationally walked away from the show yesterday after six years on air, with sources suggesting he left after refusing to apologise for his comments about Meghan Markle.
The Duchess of Sussex herself lodged an official complaint with ITV, prompting bosses to demand he apologise on air or wave goodbe to his job.
However, Piers has since insisted his parting with ITV was "amicable" and said his departure from the air waves is just a "temporary hibernation".
Reports suggested he'd handed in his notice once before back in 2017, citing exhaustion, but was persuaded by ITV chiefs to stay on.
Piers' lucrative contract with ITV - which reportedly made him around £1.1 million a year - was up at the end of 2021 and it's not known whether he would have stayed on and signed a new deal.
The former newspaper editor has been very open about how much he hated the early starts which involved getting up in the middle of the night to start work at 6am.
He used to start the show at 6.30am, but his hours recently changed to get him in for 6am.
Despite only working Monday to Wednesday, adding in Thursdays too at the height of the coronavirus pandemic coverage, Piers insisted he was constantly shattered.
Speaking back in 2017, he told The Mirror : "You basically become a complete zombie...
"It's killing me before my very eyes. It's the least healthy existence imaginable.
"Your immune system gets crushed, you pick up every bug going, I've basically been ill for the entire 18 months in some form.
"You have about 18 breakfasts before midday, so everything is terrible about it except the show itself."
Speaking of how long he would remain on the show, Piers confessed: "It won't continue much longer...
"My body is certainly screaming in pain at the moment...
"I'm aware people have to get up for work early and do night shifts and so on.
"If you haven't done it, let me tell you, it never gets easier, it just gets worse. Everyday is a new horror."
During his chat with The Mirror, Piers also revealed he has spoken to his woes with other breakfast TV presenters, including Sophie Raworth, who previously hosted an early spot on the BBC.
Piers said Sophie's co-host Jeremy Bowen also suffered badly with the hours - and was so ill he thought he must have cancer.
However, it turned out he was just exhausted from the early starts and when he gave up the job, he got better.
Piers said: "I bumped into Sophie Raworth at the Chelsea Flower Show and she did it for two years on BBC Breakfast with Jeremy Bowen and she told me he actually thought he was dying.
"He had all these tests, and he thought he had cancer. It turned out it was just getting up at 3.30 in the morning.
"The moment he stopped doing the show, the pain went away. Literally, it was killing him."
It's not known whether his hatred of early starts may have played a role in Piers' decision to leave Good Morning Britain, but it could have one of many factors which could have influenced him.
Despite reportedly earning more than a £1 million a year from ITV to host GMB, it's unlikely Piers is going to be short of cash after his exit.
He still has a bumper deal with ITV for other shows including his Life Stories series and is said to own the formats for several of his crime shows that are broadcast in the US.
Piers also has what's believed to be a seven-figure deal with the Daily Mail for his columns, and has previously admitted he's never been short of work offers.
Speaking after his departure from GMB yesterday, Piers declared he's "always in talks with people" and even asked a reporter: "What's the Sky money like at the moment?"
