BBC Breakfast presenter Sally Nugent admitted she “didn’t know if she could carry on” hosting Tuesday’s instalment after she was left emotional by a segment about guide dogs.
The 51-year-old host was visibly moved at the start of the show after watching the news package, which shone a light on Guide Dogs charity volunteers that train assistance dogs at the start of their lives.
The segment revealed that there is currently a shortage of volunteers and that the charity has begun a big recruitment drive to keep numbers up.
It is currently estimated that those in need of an assistance dog are facing waits of up to two years.
Nugent appeared visibly moved by the segment after it cut back to the studio and she could be seen holding her hand to her face, saying: “Wow”.
It seemed as though Jon Kay had noticed his co-host needed a moment to regain composure and asked her: “Are you alright?”
To which she jokingly replied: “No! I don’t think I can carry on.”
Before sincerely adding, “What an incredible thing to do, though, to be able to work with a dog like that and then hand it on for the next stage of its job.”
Kay shared: “I’m amazed there’s a shortage, I’d have thought there’d be people queuing around the block, but I guess it’s a huge commitment, isn’t it?”
The host then went to reveal how the pair would be interviewing a guide dog trainer later in the show, who could talk them through what it’s really like to look after one of the animals.
He enthusiastically explained: “And we’ve got a dog coming in.”
Leaving Nugent replying: "We have! Do you know what we really need now? Some beautiful pictures of guide dogs.”
Turning to his co-host, he asked: “Can we handle it?” to which Nugent insisted: “Yeah, I definitely can.”
She then added, “Come on everybody, let’s have a look at this. This is what we need on a Tuesday morning” as several photos of viewers’ guide dogs were shown on screen.
BBC Breakfast airs weekdays on BBC One from 6am to 9am.
