Carol Kirkwood looks in great spirits as she steps out after her final BBC Breakfast show – despite Naga Munchetty’s brutal parting dig at her

Carol Kirkwood looked to be in great spirits as she stepped out despite Naga Munchetty’s brutal farewell speech towards her after her latest BBC Breakfast show.

Carol, 63, fought back tears in January as she announced she was leaving the Beeb in April after more than 25 years at the broadcaster.

BBC weather legend, The actor, who joined the team in 1997, said goodbye to his co-stars in Wednesday’s episode of the program.

And as she left her hotel in Manchester on Thursday after the final show, she was seen loading all her flowers and farewell gifts into a waiting car.

She looked casual in her navy blue tracksuit and black tights and was smiling from ear to ear.

On her final day in the studio, Carol chatted to the day’s hosts Jon Kay and Sally Nugent and was also joined by her co-stars Naga, Nina Warhurst, Peter Ruddick and John Watson.

Naga couldn’t resist pulling one last playful prank on Carol before heading off, as the pair have been known to trade witty jabs at each other on our screens over the years.

After playing some of Carol’s best songs, Naga jokingly told her: ‘I’m waiting for the countdown for you to leave!’

She was seen leaving her hotel in Manchester on Thursday after the final show, loading up all her flowers and rationing her gifts into a waiting car.

Everyone in the studio burst into laughter, but those watching at home were less than impressed.

On social media, some viewers wrote: ‘Maybe Naga and Carol really didn’t get along…’; ‘Where was Naga Munchetty’s tribute to Carol Kirkwood, among others, on his last day presenting the weather?’

Another said: ‘Naga didn’t do a pre-recorded solo tribute like other news anchors who have worked with him over the years have done. Instead he tried his usual catch tactics to embarrass Carol.’

But one noted: ‘Naga was there and gave him the picture of Little Miss Sunshine.’

Naga continued: ‘Here is a rare glimpse of me being nice to you… So what do we call you? Not on air! It’s live. Maybe Little Miss Sunshine?’

He continued: ‘We see these VTs all day long, regards, secretly we all think you’re amazing. We know that when we tell someone ‘Carol is gone’ they say ‘Oh my God’. NO!’

Do you know ‘Little Mr Men’? What would we all be? Sleepy? Little Miss Sleepy? I think she’s Little Miss Sunshine as portrayed by Adam Hargreaves.’

The publisher then gave him a beautiful drawing of the character.

Thirty years later, Carol presented the latest BBC Breakfast weather forecast on screen with the broadcaster and moved fans as she struggled to hold back tears.

HE He had difficulty making his words heard while announcing the news She admitted, along with co-stars Sally Nugent and Jon Kay, that she ‘loves her job’ but is reluctant. She will spend more time with her husband, police officer Steve Randall.

But the presenter appeared to be keeping it together as he offered his latest prediction, despite being greeted with loving well wishes from his BBC co-stars on VT.

Carol joined Sally and Jon in the studio for the last time and smiled for the cameras as she explained what Britons can expect from the weather this week.

Naga couldn’t resist making one last witty reference to Carol before heading off, as the pair have been known to trade witty jabs at each other on our screens over the years.

After playing some of Carol’s best songs, Naga jokingly told her: ‘I’m waiting for the countdown for you to leave!’

She also sat down with them on the couch at the end of the broadcast, where they thanked her for providing details from ‘a few days in advance’ so they could continue to receive a ‘Carol forecast’ even after she left.

Sally began: ‘I don’t know if you know Carol, but you’ve changed the way the weather is reported on television in so many ways, whether you’re on the map, out and about or meeting our audience…

‘You’ve been broadcasting from major events for years.’

Carol listed: ‘The Chelsea Flower Show, Wimbledon, poppies in the Tower of London, Royal Ascot, there were so many things.’

The BBC then played an emotional VT from other BBC stars including Sue Barker, Vicky McClure, Paul Merton, Zoe Ball, Clare Balding, Chris Evans and Sir Chris Hoy sending their well wishes to Carol.

The second tribute VT also featured Charlie Stayt, Louise Minchin, Sian Williams, Susanna Reid and Dan Walker paying tribute to the ‘lovely, kind and caring’ Carol.

The messages told Carol she was a “ray of sunshine”, a “great friend”, and told how she had “made much of the nation smile”, predicting that viewers would “really miss her”.

Sally and Jon also surprised Carol with a message from Canadian rock star Bryan Adams thanking her for her ‘great weather reports over the years’, leaving her shocked.

‘That was lovely,’ Carol enthused as the video series came to an end, adding: ‘It’s lovely to have made such wonderful friends, they’re all really lovely people.’

Jon then read some of the messages viewers sent for Carol, who admitted they were emotional as they bid farewell to the weather girl.

One wrote: ‘We will miss Carol so much, she rarely misses Shetland in predictions and we always appreciate that. We wish him all the best.’

Another said: ‘I hope Carol enjoys her last shift at the BBC, she has been a steady presence for us in a chaotic world.’

And more wrote: ‘Carol, thank you for being a bright star on many dull mornings’; ‘Your smile brightened up every situation no matter what the weather BBC Breakfast won’t be the same without you’; ‘Good luck Carol Kirkwood…she is a national treasure and BBC Breakfast won’t be the same without her’; ‘Wishing Carol all the best in her retirement’; ‘You are an icon and I will miss you so much sweet lady.’

Carol admitted that it hasn’t really affected her that she’s leaving the show, adding: ‘I’m in denial about it and hope to be back on my feet on Monday…

‘It’s going to be weird, not being able to talk to all our lovely viewers, seeing the team in front of and behind the camera, not just on BBC Breakfast but on BBC Weather too.

‘It will be different and I will miss everyone so much.’

The trio also looked back at Carol’s career, from being a production assistant on BBC Breakfast to working as a meteorologist for three decades.

Just before Carol said goodbye to the show, her husband Steve accompanied her with a cake and a large bunch of flowers.

He concluded: ‘I will try to overcome this. This is a prediction I’ve known was coming for a long time, but that doesn’t make it any easier to deliver.

‘After 28 years as a BBC weather presenter, chasing storms, chasing sunshine and occasionally getting it all wrong, I’m saying goodbye.

Carol, 63, fought back tears in January as she announced she was leaving the Beeb in April after more than 25 years at the broadcaster.

‘When I first walked into this studio, I could never have imagined what would happen next. Back then, graphics were simpler, maps were a bit bulkier, and I had a lot less hair than that.

‘But there is one thing that never changes; And that is the privilege and honor of being hosted in your homes. Thank you for trusting me, whether we’re talking about heat waves, snow, major national events, and the everyday question: ‘Do I need breakfast?’

‘You have been the constant in all of this and I have never taken that for granted. I will really miss you… I owe you all so much.

‘This job has given me so much more than a career, it has given me memories that I will carry with me forever. I value friendships very much.

‘It’s time to turn over a new leaf, spend some more time with Steve and perhaps have the luxury of watching the weather rather than presenting it. Thank you for letting me be a part of your life.’

In March, Carol revealed: ‘My last shift on air will be on April 1st and it’s not an April Fool’s joke! I can’t believe it came so quickly…’

Joking about the final eight early starts she will have to endure before exiting the programme, Carol added: ‘The first thing I’m going to do is throw my alarm in the bin.’

‘Oh, it’s going to be so sad,’ he continued. ‘This is also a very happy thing, but I will miss you, everyone, the audience too.’

When announcing her separation, Carol explained that she “loved her husband more than her job.”