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Joanna Gosling appeared as though she was struggling to hold back her tears as she signed off from BBC News for the last year, after more than 20 years with the broadcaster.

During her final stint on the programme on Thursday January 26, the journalist ended the show with an emotional farewell to viewers and colleagues, many of whom shared messages of support when she announced she would be stepping down from her role through voluntary redundancy.

‘Now it is just about time for me to say goodbye for the last time,’ she began.

‘I am signing off after 23 years at BBC News, and before I go there are just a few things I wanted to say. I know this job is personal. We come directly into your home to tell you what’s happening – good, bad, funny, sad.

‘And in doing my work I always consider how you might be responding to the news you are hearing and what you might want to know.’

Expressing how thankful she was for the messages she’s received, she continued: ‘But your response to me leaving has been completely unexpected and I have been really touched by the wave of warmth and kindness from you, and I want to say thank you for all of your good wishes. It really has meant a lot to me.’

Joanna stressed how much the stories she’s heard from various people over the years have had an impact on her personally and professionally.

‘I also want to say thank you to all of the people that shared their stories with me and you over my 30 years as a journalist. Many of them have had an impact on me and have shaped the way I see things, and I hope it’s been the same for you,’ she said.

‘It’s way I came into journalism – to give a voice, lend an ear, and shine a light.’

Earlier this month, it was reported that the BBC was losing three of its regular news presenters, amid plans for BBC World News and BBC News to be merged in favour of a single, 24-hour TV news service.

Joanna later confirmed in a post shared on Twitter: ‘You may have already heard, but I wanted to confirm, that I have decided to leave the BBC and will go off air on the 26th January. I am very grateful for the kind messages I’ve had from so many of you. I’m proud of my career in news. Now it is time for new beginnings.’

The following day, she wrote: ‘Yet again your response to something I’ve done is overwhelmingly lovely and I am so grateful. I don’t want to respond to some, because it ignores others, and I can’t do all because it would clog up your timeline! So this is to say, I’m reading everything and THANK YOU.’

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