Tracy Grimshaw’s emotional A Current Affair farewell

The longtime A Current Affair host bid an emotional farewell to the program she’s been the face of for almost two decades today.

Tracy Grimshaw bid an emotional farewell to A Current Affair after 17 years as host during Thursday’s episode of the long-running current affairs show.

The show’s two most recent episodes have operated as an extended farewell to Grimshaw, with clips of some of her highlights as host as well as messages of support from celebs including Kyle Sandilands, Eddie McGuire, Andy Lee, Leigh Sales, Sam Newman and Nick Giannopoulos.

“Tracy Grimshaw … I am extremely afraid of the long lunch in our future,” Sales quipped, which earned a big laugh from Grimshaw.

But the final minutes of Thursday’s episode were given over to Grimshaw herself, to deliver her thanks and goodbye to ACA viewers.

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Tracy Grimshaw says farewell to A Current Affair.

She started by insisting she wouldn’t say a proper goodbye, because it would reduce her to tears - “and that’s never pretty.”

The she struck a defiant note, hitting back at those who’ve looked down their nose at the show over the years. A Current Affair’s critics, she inisisted, never actually watched the show.

Still, she admitted the show “hadn’t always got it right.”

“A few years ago, we went through a phase of loving bra stories. I hated it... and now we don’t do bra stories anymore.”

She thanked viewers for letting her “indulge my love of a good chat,” revealing that back in her early days on ACA, her bosses wouldn’t let any interview run for more than four minutes because they thought viewers would be “bored.”

“And now look at us. Interviews can run for the whole show - because you told us you like that. Thank you for watching them.”

Grimshaw explained she was saying thanks rather than goodbye, to stop herself from crying.

As a staff member delivered flowers to her desk, Grimshaw made it to the end of her speech before she finished by teasing some much-anticipated information: “Soon you will find out who’ll be in this chair next year. Please make them welcome.”

Despite much industry speculation, there’s still no word about who will replace Grimshaw in the ACA hosting chair next year.

Her departure comes during a TV-wide “mass exodus,” as some of the media industry’s highest-profile names step away from their jobs. Over on Ten, rival current affairs program The Project is losing Carrie Bickmore, Lisa Wilkinson and Peter Helliar.

Back in July, Leigh Sales finished as host of The 7:30 Report after 12 years.

And on radio today, popular broadcaster Jess Eva made the shock announcement that Triple M’s MG, Jess & Page — formerly known as Moonman in the Morning – would finish up as of tomorrow.

Originally published as Tracy Grimshaw’s emotional A Current Affair farewell