Why was BBC Breakfast presenter Naga Munchetty forced to leave the sofa this morning?

BBC Breakfast viewers were left shocked after Naga Muchetty vacated the sofa mid-show on Friday morning. Charlie Stayt was left to present the remaining few hours on his own and explain why his co-host had to make a hasty exit.

The show - which airs every day from 6:00am - featured a star-studded cast of politicians and celebrities including SNP’s Ian Blackford, Rugby legend Kevin Sinfield, and Jeremy Hunt appearing for interviews.

Less than 30 minutes into BBC’s flagship programme, Muchetty appeared to be losing her voice as the pair introduced the news. After Muchetty’s disappearance, Charlie Stayt, 60, was forced to explain his co-stars absence.

He said: "You may have noticed this morning, Naga has just stepped away from the sofa for a minute with a slight struggle with her voice." Unsure on whether she’d return he added: "We’ll see how that works out, time now is 6.20am."

Unfortunately, Munchetty did not return to present and Stayt was left to present the remainder of the show on his own. Stayt’s morning was compounded whena live link from Doha in Qatar went down mid-interview.

The audience took to social media to express their sympathy for Munchetty. One user writes: "Oooh Naga you poor thing. Hope your lovely voice recovers soon #BBCBreakfast."

However, other viewers were concerned the BBC were not being responsible. Another user writes: “What is Naga Munchetty doing in the studio today, she is clearly not well, get her off and let Charlie do the show on his own.”

Viewers of the show had flagged Naga’s upsetting cough yesterday with one concerned user writing on Twitter: “It doesn’t sound like Charlie Stayt coughing every time the camera is off him. So presumably it’s Naga Munchetty.”