Benjamin Peter Sherrington Shephard (born 11 December 1974) is an English television presenter and journalist who is currently employed by ITV. He was a main presenter on the now defunct breakfast programme GMTV and since April 2014 has co-hosted the ITV breakfast show Good Morning Britain alongside Susanna Reid, Kate Garraway and Charlotte Hawkins. He has also hosted game shows such as The Krypton Factor (2009–2010), Tipping Point (2012–present) and Ninja Warrior UK (2015–present). In 2012, along with Helen Skelton, he welcomed the athletes of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to Trafalgar Square as part of their homecoming parade. Early life and education Shephard was educated at Chigwell School, an independent school in the civil parish of Chigwell in the Epping Forest area of Essex, followed by the University of Birmingham, where he achieved a BA honours degree in Dance, Drama and Theatre Arts. Initially wanting to become an actor, while at university he joined a local weather network through a casting process and then became a runner (the most junior member of a television crew), before being encouraged to become a television presenter by a producer. Career Channel 4 Shephard's career took off in 1998, when he began hosting Channel 4 spin-off show The Bigger Breakfast, alongside fellow presenters including Josie D'Arby, Melanie Sykes and Dermot O'Leary. That same year, Shephard became the first presenter of T4's teen strand on Channel 4, which launched on 25 October 1998. He also presented Control Freaks for the channel in 1998. Shephard returned to Channel 4 in 2013 to co-present cookery programme called What's Cooking?. He hosted one series, alongside Lisa Faulkner, and then permanently left Channel 4 on 24 May 2013. ITV Between 2004 and 2006, Shephard presented the first three series of ITV2 spin-off programme The Xtra Factor, whilst Kate Thornton hosted the main show on ITV While hosting the show, Shephard also starred in The Xtra Factor – Battle of the Stars. He left the show after three series after missing out on the main presenting role (which went to Dermot O'Leary after the departure of original host Kate Thornton); he was replaced by Fearne Cotton. Between 2005 and 2011, Shephard was a stand-in presenter on This Morning, covering for regular presenter Phillip Schofield. In 2014, Ben was a stand-in presenter on This Morning Summer, co-hosting one episode alongside Ruth Langsford. Since 2015, he has been a