Kate Garraway was replaced by Charlotte Hawkins on Thursday's Good Morning Britain as her husband Derek Draper remains in hospital.
The mother-of-two usually hosts the ITV breakfast show with Ben Shephard towards the end of the week, but she was noticeably absent.
It comes after Derek, 54, was taken back into hospital and is said to have taken a "serious turn for the worse".
Derek is the worst affected living Covid patient in the UK after spending 13 months in hospital. He first contracted the virus at the beginning of 2020.
The former political advisor returned home but has been unable to fully communicate and has issues with mobility and has struggled with major health problems.
One source close to the family has told The Mirror he was “seriously unwell” and that Kate was putting all her energy into caring for him which meant she couldn’t host GMB as normal this week and needed to concentrate on Derek.
They added: “Derek is back in hospital in a very serious condition but the family knows he is in the best hands. Kate is doing everything she can for her husband. He comes first and so work will have to take a back seat this week.”
While an ITV spokesperson added: "Kate is taking some time off work over the next few days, and is hoping to be back to her normal presenting duties as soon as possible."
Kate said just weeks ago that she hoped her husband was improving after a previous stint in hospital.
Thursday's instalment of GMB saw Charlotte discussing the latest headlines alongside Ben, 47.
Viewers were quick to send Kate well wishes, with one person writing on Twitter: "@kategarraway thinking of you and the family Kate, hope Derek turns the corner and starts to improve. You're a tough cookie.....stay strong and we all love you!"
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays at 6am on ITV and ITV Hub.
