Tearful Carol Kirkwood announces she is to leave BBC

On BBC Breakfast, weather presenter Carol Kirkwood staggered tears by announcing that she will be leaving the company after more than 25 years. She hugged her co-presenters, saying that it was

very difficult for me to say this because I love my work. Kirkwood, who joined the BBC in 1998, will leave in April and said it had been a

absolute privilege to show viewers the weather. The 63-year-old announced that she would be spending more time with her husband Steve and traveling after her regular morning forecast.

I didn't want to get emotional, Kirkwood told host Jon Kay and Sally Nugent,

but my friends are my friends, and I love you dearly.

I want to spend more time with my beautiful husband Steve. We're ships that pass in the night, so I'm really looking forward to doing it. We want to travel as well.

I've loved my job, I've enjoyed being at the BBC, but my husband is more important than my work.

Kirkwood, a police officer from Morar on Scotland's west coast, married police officer Steve Randall in 2023. She is known as one of the BBC's most popular and friendly faces, and her weather forecasts are watched and trusted by millions of viewers every day. Kirkwood began her BBC presenting career on the News channel and went on to appear on BBC One regularly. Since 2010, she has been Britain's most popular weather presenter on BBC Breakfast. Kirkwood also appeared in the daily bulletins, as well as reporting the weather on location, including from Wimbledon, the Chelsea Flower Show, and royal functions. She has also worked on The One Show and competed on Strictly Come Dancing in 2015, winning week eight with her partner Pasha Kovalev. She has been named best TV weather presenter at the TV and Radio Industries Club Awards for several years. However, every now and then she has gone viral for on-air pranks, including the time she was upstaged by a dog.

Kirkwood began her BBC work as a production secretary and production assistant on BBC Breakfast. She appeared on BBC Radio Scotland, BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 4, but she would not appear on television until later in her career. She left the BBC to work in recruitment and consulting, but she later auditioned and underwent training at The Weather Channel in the United States to become a host on the BBC's short-lived UK version. She returned to the BBC and trained with the Met Office, eventually joining the BBC Weather Centre in 1998.

My work is something I've never taken for granted, and I'm loving every minute,

Kirkwood said.

To those who are watching and listening at home - thank you for all the kindness you have shown me over the years, being part of your mornings has been a joy.

It's not a simple decision,

she said, but it seemed that now was the right time to make,

I'll carry with me the most wonderful memories. When asked about the close of early-morning, she chuckled: What is a lie in? asked the host. I have no idea. Alarm clocks will no longer be a thing of the past. Nugent joked that Kirkwood's future wassunshine all the way,Kay said,We love you so much, and everyone at home adores you so deeply.

Kirkwood had made a exceptional contribution to the organization, according to Jonathan Munro, BBC News' interim CEO.

She has set the gold standard for our accurate, valuable journalism, from the big national moments to the everyday forecasts that are so integral part of our viewers' lives,

he said. "She will be greatly missed by teams around the BBC. We wish her all the best in the future.