BBC Breakfast viewers tuned into the show on Thursday morning to find Naga Munchetty missing from the red sofa.
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The 47-year-old was temporarily replaced by the show's weekend presenter, Rachel Burden, who joined Naga's usual co-host Charlie Stayt.
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Naga and Charlie regularly front the breakfast news show from Thursdays to Saturdays, with Dan Walker and Sally Nugent taking the reigns from Monday to Wednesday.
Naga's unexplained absence comes just days after it was announced that Dan would be departing from the programme after six years. The 45-year-old, who took over from long-standing presenter Bill Turnbull back in 2016, revealed that he will be leaving the BBC to host Channel 5's news show.
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Sharing the news in a video statement shared on Channel 5's official Twitter, Dan said: "Dan Walker here, I have a little bit of news for you. In the next few weeks, I'm going to be leaving BBC Breakfast and moving to 5 News and to Channel 5.
Naga was missing from the red sofa on Thursday morning
"I'm really excited but this has also been a massive decision for me because I love BBC Breakfast, I love working alongside Sally and I love the team there. But Channel 5 came with big ambitions, with big plans. And I don't think opportunities like this come around very often. And I can't wait."
The former Strictly star continued: "I've also had the incredible privilege of working on some iconic programmes over the last few years, both at the BBC and elsewhere, and what I love about this deal is I not only get to present the news but also host a whole range of new programmes right across the channel.
Dan is moving to Channel 5
"And what an honour to step into the shoes of Sian Williams. I know how popular she is with both the team and the audience, so all I can say is I will do my very best to maintain her incredibly high standards. Thank you for watching and I'll see you soon on a TV screen somewhere."
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