BBC Breakfast host Jon Kay has finally addressed his absence from the show after he was replaced by Ben Thompson this week in a presenter shake-up

Jon Kay has finally addressed his absence from BBC Breakfast amid a presenter shake-up.

Viewers had been left confused when the presenter was nowhere to be seen during the week. The breakfast programme saw Ben Thompson take over as host. He fronted the show alongside Nina Warhurst, who usually work on weekends, as they delivered the latest news. Jon’s absence wasn’t addressed on air, but he has since informed fans what happened.

The dad-of-three revealed he had been enjoying a break with his family for the Easter holidays. Taking to his Instagram, the journalist shared a series of photos about what he’d been getting up to. Jon had spent his time away from work in Cornwall. Despite the picturesque snaps of him enjoying a Cornish pasty on a stunning beach, it wasn’t always a relaxing break for the family.

He told fans: “Flat tyre. Rained every day. As you can see, I fell over in a muddy ditch (and then pretended it was a deliberate April Fool – nobody was fooled) but we had a lovely spring break.” One fan responded: “Kids will dine out on the story of when Dad fell in the mud Nice one.” Another added: “As I Cornish lady I can sympathise! But it’s fabulous wheh sunny ! That did make me chuckle tho.”

Jon shared an update from his break over Easter ( Image: jonkay01/Instagram)

Jon shares three children with his wife Francesca, but he chooses to keep them out of the spotlight. He joined BBC Breakfast back in 2009 and became a regular presenter alongside Sally Nugent following Dan Walker’s exit in 2022. When he took over, Jon said: “I’m over the moon to become the new regular presenter of BBC Breakfast and I’m looking forward to bringing our brilliant viewers the very latest news each morning alongside my good friend Sally and the rest of the team.

“Sitting on the famous red sofa is a real privilege while covering the stories and issues that matter to our audience – home and abroad.” Jon started off at the BBC as a trainee local reporter in 1993, he worked at local radio stations and started his first full-time job at BBC Bristol on the same day as Susanna Reid.

It was in the Bristol newsroom where he met his wife – former journalist and BBC News correspondent Francesca Kasteliz. The couple have three children together and Francesca now works as a performance coach for presenters, reporters and spokespeople. After his time in Bristol, Jon went to London to work as political reporter and news correspondent before spending a year travelling around the world with his wife. Jon was the Olympics correspondent for BBC News at Six and Ten during the London 2012 Games – and is now known for his stints on BBC Breakfast.