Carol Kirkwood Gives Heartfelt Welcome to Sally Nugent’s Return to BBC Breakfast

BBC Breakfast’s Carol Kirkwood wasted no time in giving her co-star Sally Nugent a warm and heartfelt welcome as she returned to the show after a few weeks away. Sally, who normally co-hosts the show from Monday to Wednesday with Jon Kay, had been noticeably absent, with other presenters filling in during her time off.

Although the reason for Sally’s absence wasn’t explained on air, she made her comeback on Tuesday, August 26, much to the delight of viewers. She joined Jon Kay to once again present the day’s headlines from the famous red sofa.

As the broadcast shifted to Carol for her usual weather update, the weather presenter quickly focused on Sally’s return, saying, “It’s great to have you back, Sal.” Sally responded with a bright smile, “Thank you. It’s lovely to be back”, reported the Mirror.

Later in the show, Jon also shared a warm greeting, saying, “It’s lovely to have you back.” Sally’s smile was evident as she replied, “Aw, it’s lovely to be back.”

Viewers were thrilled to see Sally back on the screen and flooded social media with messages of joy. One fan commented on X, “Sally looks nice and tanned after her holiday #bbcbreakfast.” Another simply posted, “@BBCBreakfast Welcome back, Sally #BBCBreakfast,” while another added, “It’s great to have Sally back.”

Sally’s return to the show came after another heartfelt moment earlier in the week on August 25. During the same programme, BBC Breakfast presenter Ben Thompson revealed live on air that one of their guests, John Wilkins, was battling cancer.

Ben and Luxmy Gopal were speaking with John, a postman nominated for the BBC’s Make a Difference Awards, a ceremony that recognises individuals who positively impact others. But the conversation took an emotional turn when Ben shared that John was not only a community champion but was also fighting leukaemia.

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

Ben pointed out how impressive it was that John, despite waiting for treatment, was still so involved in helping others. “You’re doing all of this extra stuff, looking after these other people, and you’re still waiting for treatment yourself. When are you having that? Do you know yet?”

John explained, “I have platelet transfusions regularly, but I need to have a bone marrow transplant and stem cells. 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 went on to share that the closest match had been found in Japan, a long distance away. Ben praised him for his strength and determination, saying, “You are brilliant.”

It’s clear that both Sally’s return and John’s touching story left a mark on viewers and made for an emotional start to the week on BBC Breakfast.