This Morning presenter Ben Shephard has revealed that one of his personality traits is his wife’s biggest "annoyance". The 51-year-old has been married to Annie since 2004 and the couple share two sons together, Sam, 21, and Jack, 19.

While promoting his new ITV show The Summit, Ben opened up about the demanding filming process - and his rather more comfortable set-up behind the scenes.

Filmed on the edge of the Southern Alps in New Zealand, the series follows 14 strangers as they race to reach the summit, with a £200,000 prize pot at stake.

Reflecting on the unpredictable conditions, Ben said the weather "changed in minutes", shifting from blue skies to sudden clouds, torrential rain and snow.

"So I was always thrilled that I was going to be helicoptered back down the mountain to my hotel," he told Best magazine.

"And they were the ones in tents, having to cook for themselves or light a fire to boil water for a cup of tea."

Asked whether he felt guilty, he laughed: "No! I’ve got no conscience anymore - much to my wife’s annoyance.

"There were nights when I really wanted to stay because I loved being there - the camaraderie of the team and the physical endeavour - but I hadn’t been through what they’d been through, so I had no right to stay and enjoy the fruits of their labour."

Ben's remark about his wife comes after he offered a candid insight into their marriage.

Speaking to the Daily Mail’s Weekend magazine last month, he admitted the couple live "quite separate lives".

"Annie is much more solitary than me," he explained. "She’s much happier in her own company. Half the time she’s like, ‘I need a bit of space. Can you leave me alone for five seconds, please?'"

He continued: "We do live quite separate lives. I’m off working, she has her job in garden and interior design. If I’ve got spare time, I want to do something physical."

Despite their differing preferences, Ben described Annie as the "most important factor in our lives as a family".

He went on to call her an "amazing influence who created the home for our boys to become who they are and certainly made me better at being a dad".

The couple are now preparing for life as empty nesters at their family home in Richmond, London.

Their son Jack, a teaching assistant, is set to travel, while their eldest is studying maths at university.

"Having been surrounded by boys, their mates and girls for a very long time, it’s going to be quieter," the ITV star said. "It is already."

The Summit continues tonight at 9pm on ITV. This Morning airs weekdays from 10am.