BBC Breakfast host announces extended break from show as she takes maternity leave for second pregnancy aged 44
The BBC Breakfast presenter has revealed she is taking a long break from the show due to starting maternity leave.
Emma Vardy addressed the audience as she bid a temporary farewell in the episode on Sunday, February 1.
Towards the end of the episode, the 44-year-old presenter shared: ‘Yeah, that’s pretty much it for us today.
‘And the last screening before mat leaves! Goodbye!’
Co-host Roger Johnson responded: ‘Enjoy, good luck!’
Emma confirmed viewers haven’t seen the last of her and added: ‘I’ll be back… see you.’
In the episode of BBC Breakfast on Sunday, February 1, presenter Emma Vardy announced that she would be going on maternity leave.
Emma is expecting her second baby, having welcomed her first child, a son named Jago Fionn, in 2023.
The presenter is a familiar face to BBC Breakfast fans; He is seen here with fellow presenter Ben Thompson on the red sofa.
The star first announced on social media in October 2025 that she was expecting her second child.
The exciting update comes two years after she welcomed her first baby, a son named Jago Fionn.
At the time, she took to Instagram to announce the news with an adorable photo of her newborn baby on her chest at the hospital.
Emma captioned her post: ‘I deliver my best breaking news story yet. Baby boy Jago Fionn is only a few hours old and here he is, a little shy in front of the camera.
‘A huge thank you to the dedicated and talented midwives and doctors at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, for looking after us so well. I fell in love and very much in love.’
Meanwhile, news of Emma’s departure follows BBC Breakfast fans facing a full farewell to a much-loved presence on the show.
Last week, weather legend Carol Kirkwood fought back tears as she announced she would be leaving the BBC in April after more than 25 years with the BBC.
The 63-year-old struggled to make himself heard as he announced the news on BBC Breakfast, just after giving the latest developments on Storm Chandra.
The Met Office-trained Carol choked up as she joined hosts Sally Nugent and Jon Kay in the show’s chair and said: ‘So I’m leaving and it’s really, really hard for me to say that because I love my job.
‘But this is great; Zimmer comes up in my frame and says “I can’t reach the Northern Isles anymore!” I don’t mean.’
Carol Kirkwood was on the verge of tears as she announced she was leaving the BBC after more than 25 years (she was seen announcing the news on BBC Breakfast last week)
Carol, who hails from Morar, near the Isle of Skye on the west coast of Scotland, says she plans to spend more time with her husband, police officer Steve Randall, whom she will marry at the end of 2023.
‘We only got married a few years ago and we’re ships passing in the night, so I’m looking forward to doing that,’ he said, adding that the pair hope to travel and that he can devote more time to writing novels, having already published five.
Carol had kept the news of her departure secret from everyone, including her friends and BBC Breakfast colleagues.
Smiling, she added: ‘I love my job, I loved working at the BBC, but I love my husband more than my job.’
Turning to Sally and Jon, he added: ‘I didn’t mean to get emotional, but you two are my friends and I love you so much.’
When Carol finished delivering the news, Sally held her hand and Jon reached for a box of tissues and they both hugged him tightly.
Sally joked: ‘There’s one important thing we haven’t mentioned, and that’s you’re going to lie.’
Breakfast airs weekdays from 6am on BBC One and is available to watch on iPlayer
