In this image from video released by Disney-ABC Domestic Television, co-hosts Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa are shown during the broadcast of "Live with Regis and Kelly." Philbin announced Tuesday that he will be retiring from the show this year. - Photo by AP

LOS ANGELES: Regis Philbin said on Tuesday he was retiring from his morning TV show “Live! with Regis and Kelly” after 28 years with the programme.

“There is a time that everything must come to an end,” Philbin told viewers, in a surprise on-air announcement.

Philbin, 79, said this will be his last year with the show, and that he will leave sometime between the end of the US summer and fall. He did not say who would replace him.

“We'll have a lot of fun between now and then,” he said.

Philbin is the Guinness World Record holder for most time on camera, with more than 16,500 hours accumulated over his entire career.

The TV personality has co-hosted “Live!” with Kelly Ripa since 2001, after previously appearing on the show with Kathie Lee Gifford. The show began in 1983 when Philbin created “The Morning Show” for WABC in his native New York City. Gifford joined him in 1985 and in 1988 the programme gained national syndication.

He also hosted the hit game show “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” when it debuted in the United States in 1999.

Philbin is known for his Bronx accent and quick wit. Early on in his career, Philbin appeared in the 1960s talk show “The Joey Bishop Show,” as a sidekick to the show's star.

In 2001, he won a Daytime Emmy for his work on “Live! with Regis” and another Emmy for outstanding game show host for “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.” He also received a lifetime achievement Daytime Emmy award in 2008. – Reuters