In 2012, along with Helen Skelton, he welcomed the athletes of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to Trafalgar Square as part of their homecoming parade.

[2] Shephard's career took off in 1998, when he began hosting Channel 4 spin-off show The Bigger Breakfast, alongside fellow presenters including Josie D'Arby, Melanie Sykes and Dermot O'Leary.

Between 2004 and 2006, Shephard presented the first three series of ITV2 spin-off programme The Xtra Factor, whilst Kate Thornton hosted the main show on ITV.

He left the show after three series after missing out on the main presenting role (which went to Dermot O'Leary after the departure of original host Kate Thornton); he was replaced by Fearne Cotton.

[11][12] Since 2015, Ben has co-presented the Saturday night game show Ninja Warrior UK for ITV,[13] alongside Rochelle Humes and Chris Kamara.

After the departure of Eamonn Holmes in April 2005, Shephard became Fiona Phillips' co-host on GMTV Today, presenting on Mondays, Tuesdays and alternate Wednesdays.

When GMTV relaunched in January 2009, his main co-host became Kate Garraway, presenting on Monday, Tuesday and alternate Wednesdays.

On 30 June 2010, Shephard announced his departure from GMTV, two months before the end of the programme, stating that he wished to spend more time with his family and focus on his charity work.

[15][16] The show was later replaced by Daybreak hosted Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley and then later by Lorraine Kelly, Kate Garraway and Aled Jones.

After four years on air, Daybreak ended in spring 2014 to make way for a new ITV Breakfast programme Good Morning Britain.

On 27 July 2010, Shephard announced that he had signed a new contract with Sky Sports, where he presented Goals on Sunday alongside Chris Kamara in a deal reportedly worth £495,000 a year.

As of April 2014,[needs update] Shephard only presented Goals on Sunday for Sky Sports and no longer hosted any of the live matches.

[28] In 2007, Shephard presented the BBC entertainment series DanceX with Strictly Come Dancing judges Arlene Phillips and Bruno Tonioli on the panel.

[41] Shephard supports several charities including the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, Haven House Children's Hospice and the Holly Lodge Centre.

[citation needed] Another of Shephard's charity challenges took place in early 2009 when he, along with eight other well-known celebrities, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for Comic Relief.

[47] Joining him on the climb were Cheryl Cole, Kimberley Walsh, Fearne Cotton, Gary Barlow, Alesha Dixon, Ronan Keating, Denise van Outen and Chris Moyles.

[49] In 2010, Shephard and his friend Ivan ran the Coast-to-Coast Challenge, raising over £120,000 for the Children's Heart Unit Fund at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle upon Tyne.

[51] In March 2011, Shephard designed blue and black striped hipsters for charity to help raise awareness of Prostate Cancer.