Sian Williams chokes back tears as she appears on BBC Breakfast for the final time

Sian Williams said a tearful goodbye to BBC Breakfast this morning after 11 years on the show.

The broadcaster blinked back tears after one guest, former poet laureate Andrew Motion, read her a short poem during her final appearance ahead of the show's move to Salford.

She paid tribute to co-host Bill Turnbull, the team behind the scenes and viewers after watching clips from her lengthy stint on the early morning programme.

An emotional Williams said "Hang on to it, Sian, only a couple more minutes to go", before she told Turnbull: "We've been friends for 20 years and you've still been my closest friend."

She said: "Thank you to the viewers for being loyal and passionate and caring about the programme and I've had two babies on this sofa - not literally, you know what I mean.

"You've been such a wonderful audience, thank you very, very much, I will miss you hugely."

In one of several features broadcast throughout the programme to mark her last day, viewers were shown footage of a ritual she and Turnbull perform 15 seconds before going live on every show, in which both presenters shake out their arms in front of them.

Afterwards, an embarrassed Williams said: "They must think we're mad."

She added: "We've been doing it for years and years and now you know."

The presenter, who wore a bright pink dress under a black jacket, is one of around 46 people leaving the show before it moves as part of a shake-up of the corporation.

The move has been controversial, with sports presenter Chris Hollins branding it a "political" decision and saying he had "reluctantly" said no to moving north for family reasons.

Regular presenters Turnbull and Susanna Reid will continue after the move to MediaCityUK and join around 1,600 BBC staff who are now based there, including people working for Radio 6 Music, the BBC Sport website and part of Radio 5 Live.

The move from BBC Breakfast will see Williams co-present Radio 4's Saturday Live magazine show from May 5 with pop star-turned-priest the Rev Richard Coles, who was a member of Bronski Beat and the Communards before studying for the priesthood.

She will also continue to read the news on BBC1 and cover the Olympics for BBC Breakfast.