James Corden is moving on without regrets.
The host of The Late Late Show, who announced his planned exit from the talk show in April, revealed why he made his decision to leave in a Jan. 2 appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show.
"Nothing about leaving the show was to do with not enjoying it," a visibly emotional James told Drew. "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."
James, who took over The Late Late Show from Craig Ferguson in 2015, further explained that he refused to allow his professional life to negatively impact his personal one.
"The choice was to go, ‘Well, if I want to do this other work, that cannot be at the expense of our children, our family,'" he said. "That is really all it comes down to."
James and his wife Julia Carey share son Max, 11, and daughters Carey, 8, and Charlotte, 5.
Leaving The Late Late Show, which films in Los Angeles, will allow James and his family, he said, "to put down some roots in London."
While James said the decision "feels absolutely right in every single way," he admitted saying goodbye will not be easy.
"I will be a mess on that last show," he said. "I will cry my eyes out."
In April, James signed a one-year extension of his contract—which means his final Late Late Show appearance will come near the start of this summer. A final episode date has not yet been set.
"I never want this show to overstay its welcome in any way," he said during his April 28 Late Late Show monologue. "I always want to love making it. And I really think in a year from now that will be a good time to move on and see what else might be out there."
The Late Late Show airs weeknights on CBS.