Ben Shephard left his co-hosts Susanna Reid and Charlotte Hawkins - as well as the viewers at home - in shock when he recalled the moment he proposed to wife Annie Perks on Thursday's Good Morning Britain. The GMB anchor revealed how he whisked his then-girlfriend Annie off to Paris - but it was his hectic work schedule that left him feeling very tired. "I really screwed up," he explained. "I eventually did propose to her in Paris. She knew I was going to propose, I had a ring and all that stuff."
WATCH: Ben Shephard revealed this curious detail about his proposal
"I'd been doing a lot of early shifts on GMTV at the time," he added. "We went out in the afternoon, and I said, 'Let's have a little sleep before we go out to dinner'. I woke up about 3 in the morning and sat bolt upright and said, 'Did we go out for dinner?' She just looked at me, shook her head and said 'No'." Looking regretful, he added: "I had to do it the next day and it was so pressurised. It was awful."
MORE: Take a look inside Ben Shephard's house
Ben and Annie were an item for nine years before they got married in 2004. They have since welcomed two sons called Jack and Sam, with the Tipping Point presenter often sharing sweet family insights from their life at home. In March, both Ben and Annie will celebrate their 16th wedding anniversary. For last year's celebration, the loving husband paid a heartfelt tribute, which read: "So 15 years ago today I finally got my a*** into gear and managed to marry @mrsannieshephard. It had only taken me 9 years to ask her (you can't rush these things!) I'm still not sure quite how I managed to persuade her to put up with me, but I'm very glad that I did, and she still hasn't worked out that there's far better options out there!!!"
The couple married in 2004
He continued: "Until then I'll continue to enjoy and make the most of every moment (well most of them…) Thanks Annie here's to another 15 years of mostly wedded bliss." There's no denying that Ben is a family man. At the end of June, he announced his decision to step down from presenting Goals on Sunday after nine years, explaining that he wants to have more free time with his two boys.
MORE: Good Morning Britain's Ben Shephard enjoys sweet date night with wife Annie
"Now they're teenagers, Sam is taller than me and Jack is not far behind, which I'm trying to come to terms with. They're consumed by schoolwork all week, the weekend is the only time I can spend with them," the presenter told the Mirror. "What tends to happen is that after doing the breakfast show on Thursdays and Fridays, Saturday comes and I'm shattered. Doing Goals on Sunday has been amazing, but I can see that not only will we all benefit as a family but I'll benefit from being more involved in their weekend life."
Like this story? Sign up to our newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.