Countryfile star QUITS show after 13 years onscreen with emotional message to fans
Countryfile presenter Ellie Harrison reveals that after 13 years, she is quitting the show in her last ever Countryfile magazine column.
Ellie wrote "After 13 years, my final column is a fond farewell to Countryfile - I'll miss the people, places and stories.
"Thirteen-and-a-half years after I arrived four hours early for my first Countryfile shoot, which culminated in me commuting up Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) to deliver Matt Baker a sandwich of freshly harvested mushrooms, it has come time for me to bid you farewell.
"It has been a decision I've drawn out, such is the bond with the programme, and boy will I miss the geography field trips. But like all endings, I'll take all the lessons from these days forward with me on my journey."
She went on to shine a light on ";thornier" issues such as biofuels and meat production, before reminding readers that "our countryside is a gift".
Ellie concluded by revealing her reasons for leaving the show - to focus on her family, her business and new opportunities.
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"There are many things I'll miss," she wrote. "I've come to realise that I don't need to navigate to a whole new ocean or even a new sea, but to chart a new course somewhere in these waters, raising my three wonderful children, growing our family business and following my own creative calling to produce art of my own making.
"The winds of change are blowing, my hands turn the tiller and I close my eyes to take comfort from Invictus: 'I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.'"
She ended her column with a promise to be back on screens again in the future, adding: "I'll see you again someday."
A BBC spokesperson said: “Ellie is a much-loved and valued member of the Countryfile family and will be missed. We would like to thank her for her commitment to the programme and for sharing her passion for wildlife and the great outdoors. We will be celebrating her contribution in a special show on December 3 and wish her all the best.”
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Ellie Harrison began her career as a secretary at Channel 5 whilst having dreams of becoming a country singer.
The first TV show that she presented was Michaela's Wild Challenge which won a children's Bafta.
She is best known, however, for presenting Countryfile on BBC and has also appeared on The Great British Winter and the Discovery Channel's Daily Planet.
She is married to a GP, Matthew Goodman, and they have three children.