This Morning and The Summit presenter Ben Shephard has opened up about a noticeable shift in his marriage since joining the daytime programme. Ben and his wife, Annie, have been married since 2004 and share two grown-up sons, Jack and Sam.
In 2024, he moved from ITV's Good Morning Britain after 10 years to co-host This Morning alongside Cat Deeley. This change came with a much later alarm call, much to his delight.
As well as enjoying a lie-in, he said the new schedule has also given more meaningful time at home.
He shared: "My career pivoted a bit in recent years, it's been a really lovely thing for me to change jobs and routines.
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"My sons, Sam and Jack, are 20 and 19 now and as they get older, they are disappearing off and don't need me as much, which has given me more freedom.
"And because of that, plus the move to This Morning, I'm getting more quality time with my wife, Annie, too, and I'm not half asleep either!".
While there's now more time to be together however, Ben recently admitted the couple "live quite separate lives".
The 51-year-old explained that while he prefers to spend his downtime working out or watching sport, Annie would rather visit an art gallery or tend to a garden.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said: "Annie is much more solitary than me. She’s much happier in her own company.
"Half the time she’s like 'I need a bit of space. Can you leave me alone for five seconds, please?'."
He added: "We do live quite separate lives. I’m off working, she has her job, which is garden and interior design.
"If I’ve got spare time I want to do something physical."
In a bid to strike a balance, the Tipping Point host said they are making a conscious effort to find activities that "work for us both".
Gushing over his spouse, he went on to say she was the "most important factor in our lives as a family".
Now, the couple are preparing for an empty nest at their home in Richmond, London.
Their son Jack, who works as a teaching assistant, is planning to travel, while their eldest is studying maths at university.
"Having been surrounded by boys, their mates and girls for a very long time, it's going to be quieter," the ITV presenter noted. "It is already."
This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV and ITVX.
