Lucy Alexander has announced she is leaving Homes Under The Hammer, after presenting the daytime TV show for 13 years. She will make her final appearance later this month, and she took to Twitter to suggest she was left with no choice.
The 45-year-old wrote: "It's with a huge heavy heart I'm stepping down, it's not the outcome I wanted but to pursue other work and a commercial deal I had to leave.
Lucy Alexander has quit Homes Under The Hammer
"I will miss my TV husband @TVMartinRoberts hugely, we have had 13 happy years together! Time to move on though. There's still a brand new exciting series to go out so I'm not off your screen yet! At least another few years!! Xxx."
Homes Under The Hammer airs weekdays at 10am and has a huge fan base, reaching 1.1million viewers on average, and unsurprisingly many took to Twitter to reveal their sadness over Lucy's exit.
HELLO! EXCLUSIVE: LUCY ALEXANDER GIVES MOVING INTERVIEW ABOUT PARALYSED DAUGHTER
Dan McGolphin, BBC Daytime and Early-Peak controller, followed up Lucy's announcement with his own statement, thanking her for the 13 years of service.
Lucy suggested her future plans clashed with the BBC show's schedule
He said: "Over the last 13 years, millions of viewers have enjoyed Lucy's infectious enthusiasm for property renovation; she has inspired many of us to improve our homes or to invest and improve properties that badly need it – Britain's housing stock owes her a great debt!"
Lucy's shock exit comes after she and her family were the focus of BBC documentary Matron, Medicine and Me: 70 Years of the NHS, which detailed her heart-break when daughter Kitty, seven at the time, was diagnosed with Transverse Myelitis, a rare neurological disease.
Martin Roberts and Dion Dublin will continue to host Homes Under The Hammer – but will you be sad to see Lucy go? Let us know in the comments box below.