Steph McGovern wipes away tears as she bids an emotional farewell during last episode of her show Packed Lunch after it was axed by Channel 4

Steph McGovern wiped away tears as she said her final farewell to her show Steph's Packed Lunch on Friday.

The daytime show on Channel 4 was axed after three years due to a slew of cancellations, with the broadcaster reportedly struggling to cut costs due to financial problems.

At the end of the show, Steph, 41, looked into the camera and said: 'We had a good laugh on this show.

“Thank you for sharing your stories with us and being part of this dysfunctional family. Before we go, I thought it would be fun to take a trip down memory lane.'

The show's ratings for the week were 142,000 on Monday, 136,000 on Tuesday, 142,000 on Wednesday and 171,000 on Thursday.

Steph opened the episode with an emotional speech with her colleagues surrounding her. Steph said: “Today is our last show so we have everyone here. Today is a real family affair.'

'It's really wonderful that you are all there and that everyone at home is watching. One of the reasons I liked this show so much is because it's up north. We get to shout about all the creative things the North has to offer.

'It was great broadcasting live from Leeds every day. We've talked a lot about the north-south divide, whether it actually exists, what it means for jobs, transport and prosperity, and a lot of that is so central to London. I want to celebrate the North today.'

Steph's Packed Lunch started in 2020 when the presenter presented the show from her own living room during lockdown.

In October it was confirmed that Channel 4 had decided not to renew the show for another series and would let it end in December.

A statement said: 'With audience habits changing faster than ever, we must make difficult decisions about which programs to invest in to best drive our digital-first strategy. December 2023.

“We remain as committed as ever to our mission to help elevate the TV industry outside London, and to our target of 50% production outside London.

“We will reinvest the budget previously allocated to Steph's Packed Lunch in productions in other countries and regions.”

A spokesperson for the producers, Expectation and Can Can, told MailOnline: 'We have had more than three fantastic years co-producing Steph's Packed Lunch and working with the brilliant Steph McGovern and the outstanding on-screen talent family. We are very disappointed that, despite building a loyal audience, we cannot continue to brighten 12-2 on Channel 4.

'Leeds had no live television community four years ago and it has been a privilege to build a team with some of the brightest and sharpest TV producers in the country.'

Steph's Packed Lunch struggled with the ratings for part of its run.

According to The sunthe show hit ratings lows at one point in September 2020, when official statistics showed not a single person tuned in to a single episode at 12:56 p.m.

In response, a spokesperson highlighted that the show attracted an average of 87,000 viewers between 12.30pm and 2.10pm.

The show, which debuted in 2020 and broadcast from Leeds Dock, was live and included items such as showbiz interviews and news segments.

In September, ITV's This Morning poached Channel 4 executive producer Vivek Sharmar, who worked with Steph.

Vivek is reportedly 'a big champion' of Steph – meaning the star is now in the running to take over from Holly Willoughby.

At the request of The sun at the Attitude Awards last week about whether she would be interested in a move, Steph replied: 'I'll be very happy at Channel 4 if I do Steph's Packed Lunch, but never say never.'

The ax comes amid a slew of cancellations, with the broadcaster reportedly struggling to cut costs amid financial challenges.

Controversial cult late-night show Naked Attraction, big-budget celebrity flop Scared Of The Dark and groundbreaking medical documentary Rescue: Extreme Medics, based in Scotland, have all been pulled from shelves.

A source said the channel believes it is better to cut its losses.

But staff blamed Chief Content Officer Ian Katz for wasting money on expensive but little-watched programs such as reality series Rise And Fall, which reportedly cost the channel £14 million – money that could not be justified due to the low viewing figures. .

An insider said: 'Everyone is calling it a Channel 4 massacre. At first, everyone was completely shocked when (previous reality show) Four Weddings was canceled.

“It's almost unheard of for a show that's been doing really well to be shut down, but as word started to spread, other shows took a turn for the worse.

“They were told that Ian Katz had watched the entire broadcast of the channel, and they were sorry, but it had to be done because there was no money.

'The casting team were already there to start work on Naked Attraction and were all told they were no longer needed as they were not going to make another series.

'They tried to soften the blow for the show's freelance crew by saying they wanted to make another series in December, but that doesn't help now.'