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16th March 2023
10:56am GMT

"And finally, to my family who stood by me every day of every week, year in, year out. To my daughters especially, they put up with so much and I am as grateful to them as I am awestruck by them."
Also speaking about the breaking news, RTÉ Director-General, Dee Forbes said: "I would like to thank Ryan and acknowledge his enormous commitment to the Late Late Show during the seven years I have had the privilege to work with him. The Late Late Show is a TV phenomenon at home and abroad which continues to hold a special place in Irish life and Ryan can take enormous credit for that. He had big shoes to fill, but he has made the show his own over the past fourteen years. The transformation of the Late Late Toy Show into a national event celebrating Irish children and the most popular television programme in Ireland every year is testament to his talents as a broadcaster and his ability to create a unique connection with children and audiences all over Ireland, and beyond. There are so many great memories and special moments to look back on, and more to come, which we will rightly celebrate in the months ahead."
Looking back on fourteen years presenting the Late Late Show, Ryan said: "As I reflect on my time at the helm, I realise that we experienced extraordinary times as a country in that period. During the pandemic particularly, the viewing figures bear testament to the fact that many families across Ireland tuned in as we tried to make sense of it all. In a time of massive disruption and fragmentation of media and fake news, trust matters and I hope The Late Late Show offered that over the years.
"I will especially miss the annual chaos of The Toy Show and while millions of viewers got to see the thousands of children who made it onto the live show, I saw lots more hopeful singers, messers, dancers and musicians at auditions throughout the country. Suffice to say, I am incredibly positive about and hopeful for the next generation and the contribution they will make to this country.
"I will continue on the radio show which I love and will talk about other projects in the future that will embrace my love of books, history and Ireland but that's for another day. For now, we have exciting plans for the remaining shows this season. Stay tuned!"
Ryan's final episode of the show is set to air at 9.35pm on Friday 26th May on RTÉ One and he will continue to present his RTÉ Radio 1 show on weekdays from 9am.
RTÉ is yet to make a decision on who will take over from Ryan, but confirmed it will be made in the summertime.
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