The celebrated chef owner of the two Michelin-starred Le Gavroche restaurant has co-presented two of the BBC’s most successful food and cookery series – MasterChef the Professionals for the past six years and BBC Food & Drink for two series.

Roux said: “This hasn’t been an easy decision for me to make. I love working with the BBC, and am very proud of how we have built up the popularity and success of these two iconic shows.

“It’s not for lack of trying, but sometimes negotiating with the BBC can be a frustrating process, and there are times when I have wondered if the Corporation understands the realities of today’s commercial world.

“The BBC needs to recognise the value of the talent they work with, and also, that while we love to be associated with top quality television, we have other professional commitments that are as important to us as programme-making.”

Roux has said that he will honour his commitment to presenting a new BBC4 documentary, ‘Chocolat’, which begins filming in a few weeks.