BBC Breakfast star Louise Minchin returned to our screens on Friday, and fans are delighted! As Lorraine Kelly took some time away from her hit breakfast show, TV pro, Louise was handed the reins.
Kicking off the latest instalment, the 55-year-old refrained from addressing Lorraine's absence, simply stating: "I'm Louise Minchin standing in for Lorraine today."
Prior to her appearance on the morning show, the BBC journalist had announced her latest gig on social media. Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, she shared a photo from the Lorraine studios, captioned: "This is exciting! Back on early morning telly today, standing in for the brilliant @reallorraine and I have borrowed her mug!"
Naturally, fans were excited by the news, and several have already taken to the platform to praise Louise's presenting skills. "Loving Louise Minchin on Lorraine, such a breath of fresh air, can we have more of her. #Lorraine," tweeted one.
"Amazing job Louise, great to see you back on the telly," agreed a second. Meanwhile, a third penned: "@louiseminchin on Lorraine that has to be the best start to my Friday. Please tell me this is not just a one off."
While it's unclear if Louise's appearance is a one-off, considering the positive response from Lorraine's viewers, who knows, maybe she'll bag a regular spot!
Prior to her stint on Lorraine, Louise Minchin was a regular on BBC Breakfast from 2012 until she departed the show in 2021.
Making an official announcement, she said: "I've decided that it is time that I stop setting my alarm for 3.40 – sometimes if I'm feeling really rebellious 3.46 – in the morning and I'm going to be leaving the programme."
Since then, Louise has appeared on I'm A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here, and she's also become a celebrated author.
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After publishing her second book, Fearless: Adventures with Extraordinary Women in May 2023, Louise headed on tour, and she even returned to her old stomping ground to promote it.
Visiting the BBC for an episode of The One Show in July, she shared an Instagram post to commemorate her TV appearance. "That was a blast being back on @bbctheoneshow to talk about #Fearless and have a giant poster of the book cover on the telly box!," she penned in the caption.
"If you didn't see it you can catch up on the @bbciplayer. I didn't quite manage to mention every extraordinary woman who I met in the book though I tried my best and lots of different sports were mentioned, rugby, swimming, free diving, indoor climbing to name a few!! If you want to know more it's all in the book."