Eamonn Holmes to leave Sky News Sunrise after 11 years

Eamonn Holmes is the UK's longest-serving TV breakfast anchorman

Eamonn Holmes is to step down as anchor of Sky News's Sunrise after 11 years presenting the breakfast show.

The move will end his run of 23 years on breakfast TV in total - he joined Sky in 2005 after 12 years on GMTV.

He said he had to "step away from the daily studio commitment for a while" to produce and present more documentaries.

"To those who have worked or woken up with me on Sky News over the years - thank you. I hope you appreciated that I tried to do it differently," he said.

'Now or never'

Holmes fronts Sunrise from Monday to Thursday and hosts ITV's This Morning with wife Ruth Langsford on Fridays.

He also fronts It's Not Me, It's You and How The Other Half Lives on Channel 5.

"Going forward, I will now produce and present a number of documentary projects which I have been stalling for some time, as well as continuing my work with ITV and Channel 5," he wrote on Facebook.

"There is so much going on and I realised it was now or never."

'A true pro'

He will host his last edition of Sunrise on 13 October. His replacement has not been announced.

Head of Sky News John Ryley called Holmes "a true pro".

"There are very few presenters who can challenge their interviewee with acute questions combined with infectious charm - Eamonn does that," Mr Ryley said.

Holmes took 10 weeks off following a double hip replacement earlier this year.

In May, he apologised after appearing to link an attack on Manchester United's team bus with the Hillsborough disaster.