He left BBC Breakfast this week after six years at the helm.

And Dan Walker celebrated with a huge leaving do on Tuesday, filled with his friends and family.

The broadcaster, 45, took to Instagram on Wednesday to share a slew of snaps from the night, and a string of selfies with some famous faces.

He also posed alongside a life-size cardboard cutout of himself, quipping: 'Anybody want a cardboard cutout which is slightly taller than my human form?'

He beamed widely as he posed for a photo with Naga Munchetty, who sported a classic red lip, and another with a glamorous looking Sally Nugent.

Captioning the shots, he gushed: 'What a wonderful evening with friends and family at my leaving do tonight.

'So many surprises and just so much fun being together with so many gorgeous humans.

'Thanks to everyone who came. I will miss you all.'      

This comes after Dan's former co-host Louise Minchin made a surprise return to BBC Breakfast to honour his last day on the show. 

Louise, left the show last autumn after 20 years but returned today to share a warm embrace with her pal. 

His current co-host Sally Nugent led the outpouring as the BBC aired a 30-minute tribute to Walker which saw appearances from his Strictly Come Dancing partner Nadiya Bychkova and members of the Breakfast production team, as well as Minchin.

He was handed a cake and giant inflatable lobster - a nod to his Strictly Come Dancing performance while dressed in a lobster costume. 

His replacement has yet to be announced with his departure coming amid a BBC 'brain drain' that previously saw the likes of Andrew Marr, Emily Maitlis and Jon Sopel leave the corporation. 

The host admitted he does not know who would be replacing him but said he hopes they care about the programme, the people they work with, and viewers. 

He added: 'It's always been my dream to do a job like this and work with people like you guys, so thank you.

'It's come around a lot more quickly than I thought. It does feel a bit surreal, the fact that I won't be sitting on the sofa anymore, that I won't be sitting next to you after today, that this is my last day.'

An emotional Louise told her former co-host: 'It's an absolute pleasure and very emotional to be here.

'I know lots of people watching will be very sad that you're leaving, because you have touched the hearts of the nation over the last six years. I know people have loved watching you. I loved working with you.'

Addressing viewers at the end of the show, he said: 'There aren't many jobs where you have a chance to give other people a voice. That's what we all love doing more than anything else.

'Thank you for tuning in. Thank you for all the lovely messages over the years. We never ever take any of that for granted.

'To be serious for a minute, at a time when trust and truth have never been more important, it's great to work with a team that do everything to make sure that what we do is fair and accurate.'