Carol Kirkwood sparks concern from BBC Breakfast viewers amid return to show

BBC Breakfast star Carol Kirkwood returned to our screens on Monday after a week's absence, and while viewers were delighted to see the popular weather presenter, some expressed their concern for her health after noticing her "croaky" voice.

The 61-year-old was missing from her usual spot on the show last week, with fellow meteorologists Matt Taylor and Sarah Keith-Lucas stepping in for her.

Taking to social media, one fan expressed their worry. "Good morning. You sounded a little croaky this morning. Hope you OK," they wrote, while another penned: "@BBCBreakfast someone please give Carol a throat sweet, she sounds terrible," adding a crying emoji.

A third person shared their well wishes, commenting: "Good morning Carol, hope you are ok and had a cool weekend."

Others were pleased to see Carol back on their screens after some time away, with one person writing: "Good morning Carol. Hope you had a lovely week off. Good to see you back," while another penned: "Good morning Carol. I've missed you. Hope you had a nice break."

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It would appear that Carol has been struggling with her voice for a couple of weeks now. Before taking some time off, her co-stars applauded the weathercaster for making it through the show despite sounding "ropey".

During an episode that aired on April 9, presenter Sally Nugent said:  "Carol, I know you'll be keeping an eye on that [Storm Kathleen], and well done - we've got to the end of Breakfast and your voice has survived. It's an achievement. Go and rest," to which Carol responded: "I hope it hangs on for tomorrow as well."

Then when Jon Kay asked for the forecast, Carol quipped: "For my voice, Jon? It's looking a bit ropey."

While Carol hasn't shared any details about her sore throat, she's not the only daytime star who's been suffering with their voice recently.

Last week, Good Morning Britain star Ed Ballsrevealed his lingering cough after experiencing flu-like symptoms weeks before.

After interviewing Chief Medical Adviser Chris Whitty about the long-term effects of vaping ahead of the smoking ban bill, Susanna Reid shared her concern for Ed's husky voice. "Have you been smoking 20 a day? Your voice is really damaged, isn't it?" asked the presenter.

Ed then revealed he'd been suffering from a persistent cough and apologised for how he sounded.

"There's no need to apologise. It happens to all of us," said Susanna, suggesting that he could be battling the 100-day cough, known as whooping cough.

Susanna was perhaps referring to the rise in cases of whooping cough in recent months. In January, 553 cases were recorded in England, with high numbers in Wales, too. For more information on whooping cough, visit the NHS website.