Sir Lenny Henry will host “Comic Relief” for the last time in March.
The 65-year-old comedian co-founded the charity in 1985 and has helped raise more than £1 billion over the years – but Lenny will host Red Nose Day for the last time on March 15.
In a statement he said: “When we started Comic Relief in 1985, I never would have believed we would still be here today.
“I thought we would probably do three shows and that would be it, but today, nearly 40 years later, the enthusiasm and determination to get involved and help others has never waned.
“As Life President of Comic Relief, I’m delighted to see some new and familiar faces now stepping up to host the big night and lead us into the next chapter.”
Lenny actually co-hosted the first Comic Relief show in the 80s and over the years the donations have helped fight poverty and provide healthcare, food and safe housing to people around the world.
The comedian was amazed at the generosity of the British public, especially in difficult economic times.
He said: “The British public are brilliant – they are so kind and generous. If someone has a problem, they always want to help.”
In contrast, Lenny previously claimed that some big stars were initially hesitant to support the Comic Relief cause.
The veteran TV star said: “You know, there were quite a few of the older school who thought that getting involved in something like Comic Relief was a bizarre political thing. And of course everything you do is political. So it doesn’t matter. If you want to help, help, if not, don’t.”
“The great thing about that night was that we had Victoria Wood, Julie Walters, Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders, myself, Jonathan Ross and Griff Rhys Jones. So we had a lot of fantastic people who got the whole thing going and it’s still going today.”
