James Corden has opened up on the reason behind his leaving of the Late Late Show after nearly eight years.

Joining Drew Barrymore on her titular talk show this week, the Brit host was questioned by the Hollywood star over why he’s quit while he’s at the ‘top of his game’.

‘When do you know to walk away?’ she asked Cats actor James, 44, who appeared emotional as he explained wanting to spend time with his family and put roots down in London was the main catalyst behind the decision.

He said: ‘Look it’s not easy in any way to walk away from something that is so… I mean I’ll never work in a better environment than the one I work in now.

‘Nothing about leaving the show was to do with not enjoying it. I love it, but the truth is it became a very easy decision because I always knew it was an adventure and I never ever considered it to be the final destination.’

He went on to recall an interaction with his young son Max, 11, who questioned why he was going to work on a Sunday while James filmed series Mammals.

James is stepping away from his show after nearly eight years (Picture: Terence Patrick/CBS via Getty Images)

The presenter said: ‘I was filming on a Sunday and I came downstairs, it was about 6am and my son, who was 10 at the time, was sat on the stairs and he said, “Are you working today?” and I said, “I am,” and he said, “I thought, well it’s Sunday,” and I said, “I know buddy but this schedule’s just all over the place. We just got to get it done because we only have a tiny amount of time before we have to go back and do the show,” and his face just kind of dropped.

‘I got in the car and I called my wife Jules and I said, “I’ve realised, best case scenario we have six more summers where Max is like, even remotely wants to be around us and I cannot waste another one”.’

The presenter wants to put roots down for his family in London (Picture: Todd Williamson/E! Entertainment/NBC via Getty Images)

James went on: ‘So, really the choice was to go, “Well if I really want to do this other work, that cannot be at the expense of our children, our family,” and that is really all it comes down to.

‘I will be a mess on that last show. I will cry my eyes out but I will know at my core that the best thing for me and the best thing for us as a family is to put down some roots in London, and it feels absolutely right in every single way.’

The Gavin and Stacey star, who shares two other children with wife Julia, Carey, eight, and Charlotte, five, announced last year the next season of his talk show would be the last with him at the helm.

Breaking the news, he said: ‘It’s been a really hard decision to leave because I’m so immensely proud of the show. I’m thrilled to be extending [for a year]. I always thought I’d do it for five years and then leave and then I stayed on.

‘I’ve really been thinking about it for a long time, thinking whether there might be one more adventure.’

CBS bosses told Deadline that James was offered a variety of deals, including a two-year extension, a three-year extension, and even a rolling one-year deal before he made his decision.

During their chat Drew praised James’ contribution to late night TV, lauding him for what he’s done for the network it’s hosted on.

Indeed his stint hosting The Late Late Show soared to success, largely thanks to his Carpool Karaoke series, which sees him belting out bangers with the artists themselves while driving to the CBS studios.

Notably, his Carpool Karaoke with Adele has clocked up a staggering 254million views on YouTube since 2016.

MORE : Even James Corden admits he’s on TV ‘too much’ after quitting The Late Late Show

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He said a conversation with his son was the catalyst.