BBC Breakfast Carol Kirkwood welcomes back co-star as they’re flooded with support

BBC Breakfast journalist Sally Nugent was back on the iconic red sofa on Tuesday morning after taking a break from the show

BBC Breakfast’s Carol Kirkwood was quick to give her co-star Sally Nugent a warm welcome as she returned to the popular show.

The experienced journalist, 54, who typically presents BBC Breakfast from Monday to Wednesday alongside Jon Kay, had been noticeably absent in recent weeks, with various stars filling in for her.

While there had been no on-air explanation for Sally’s absence, the star triumphantly returned and reappeared on our TV screens on Tuesday (August 26) morning.

Sally resumed her presenting duties alongside co-host Jon Kaye, as they once again delivered the day’s top stories from the iconic red sofa.

However, when the pair crossed live to Carol, who was ready to launch into her usual segment, the weather presenter quickly shifted her attention to Sally, confessing: “It’s great to have you back, Sal.”

Carol was quick to welcome Sally back to the BBC show (Image: BBC)
Sally was delighted to be back on the show, responding, “Thank you. It’s lovely to be back.” Later in the programme, Jon also sent a heartfelt message to his co-star, saying, “It’s lovely to have you back.”

Sally responded with a broad smile: “Aw, it’s lovely to be back.” Viewers at home were thrilled by her return and took to social media to express their reactions. One viewer posted on X: “Sally looks nice and tanned after her holiday #bbcbreakfast.”

Another remarked: “@BBCBreakfast Welcome back, Sally #BBCBreakfast.” Meanwhile, one added, “It’s great to have Sally back.”

This follows BBC Breakfast presenter Ben Thompson’s revelation on air that one of their guests was battling cancer.

During Monday’s (August 25) programme, Ben and Luxmy Gopal spoke with postman John Wilkins regarding the BBC’s Make a Difference Awards, which celebrate people who positively impact others’ lives.

Sally was back presenting BBC Breakfast alongside Jon after her break from the show
The presenters welcomed John, who had received a nomination for an award.

However, the conversation took an emotional turn when Ben disclosed that John wasn’t merely a community stalwart but was also fighting leukaemia.

Ben enquired: “John, am I right in saying you’re waiting for medical treatment?”. John confirmed: “I do, yeah, I have been diagnosed with leukaemia.

“You’re doing all of this extra stuff, looking after these other people, and you’re still waiting for treatment yourself,” Ben highlighted.

“When are you having that? Do you know yet?”. “I have platelet transfusions regularly, but I need to have a bone marrow transplant and stem cells,” John disclosed.

“And for that, you need to have a perfect match, and at the moment, they haven’t been able to find a perfect match.”

John disclosed the nearest match they’d found was someone living in Japan. “A long way away,” Ben noted before praising John: “You are brilliant.”