Denise Van Outen: Vaughan's old sparring partner

When he joined the show in September 1997, no-one had managed to successfully fill the void left by original presenter Chris Evans.

But he quickly established himself as a firm favourite with his sharp wit and cheeky manner.

Channel 4's head of entertainment Kevin Lygo said: "Johnny has become one of the best known and best loved faces on Channel 4 as The Big Breakfast's anchorman.

"His contribution to the continuing success of the series has been enormous.

"We will be working with him on his next television venture and wish him all possible success as both father and broadcaster.

Confirmation of Vaughan's departure follows co-host Liza Tarbuck's announcement that she would be leaving the programme in August.

Tarbuck, 35, only joined last September, but in an online chat with fans she admitted that the early starts were getting to her.

Denise Van Outen, who with Vaughan made up The Big Breakfast's most successful pairing since Evans and Gaby Roslin, also blamed the unsociable hours when she called it a day.

No-one has been tipped to fill Vaughan's shoes yet, but speculation is set to be rife in the coming months.