Sky News’ Jeremy Thompson to retire at the end of the year

Jeremy Thompson has announced he will be retiring from news broadcasting at the end of the year.

The Sky News presenter, who has worked in television news for more than 40 years, has worked for all the major news broadcasters in the UK; the BBC, ITV and finally Sky where he started as a foreign correspondent in 1993.

In 1999, he was the first TV journalist to broadcast live as British peacekeeping forces arrived in Kosovo. He covered the first Gulf War in 1990/91 and in 2003 he anchored Sky News’ coverage of the second Gulf War from Iraq. There he presented every night for a month on the frontline, and was the first anchor to present from inside Baghdad.

Most recently Jeremy has reported from the streets of Paris in the wake of the 2015 terrorist attacks; from the heart of London on the 10th anniversary of the 7/7 bombings; and in Doncaster reporting on the dramatic election night defeat of Ed Miliband. He was also in South Africa to cover the death of Nelson Mandela and the murder trial of Oscar Pistorius.

“Jeremy Thompson is a master of his craft. His career has been an extraordinary achievement that few journalists have equalled,” said John Ryley, Head of Sky News.

“I have learned much from him; his deft handling of the most sensitive situations, his gut instinct for what the real story is, and his mass appeal to our viewers who trust him to bring them the latest news from wherever he happens to be in the world. He leaves the strongest of legacies and I, along with all my colleagues at Sky, will miss him a great deal.”

Among the awards received for his work are three Emmys from the US Academy of TV Arts and Sciences, three Gold Medals for Best News Reporter from the New York TV Festival, three BAFTAs, and the Royal Television Society award for Sky’s coverage of the Kosovo conflict. He was named RTS Presenter of the Year in 2006.

Very sorry to hear it JT but lots of great memories working with you

— Julie Etchingham (@julie_etch) September 6, 2016

Jeremy will remain with Sky News until after the US election – making this the sixth he has covered in his stellar career.