BBC Breakfast's Sally Nugent supported as she's replaced on show after tragic loss
Sally Nugent developed a close friendship with Rob Burrow after following his battle with MND on BBC Breakfast.
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Sally Nugent was replaced on today's BBC Breakfast as Sarah Campbell stepped in to fill her shoes alongside co-host Jon Jay. The usual presenter shared a heartbreaking post on Instagram that could have explained her absence.
The 52-year-old TV host shared a number of pictures of rugby League legend Rob Burrow. Some of the images showed him enjoying time with his family, another showed him watching a match and one final picture showed a sweet message that he had penned to his family.
It read: "To Lindsey, Macy, Maya and Jackson. Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars. Love always Hubby/Daddy." Sally captioned her Instagram post in a similar fashion, as she penned: "Shoot for the moon. Land in the stars @rob7lindsey xxx"
Also posting to on X, formerly Twitter, Sally added: “Smallest player on the pitch. But a giant of a man. There’s only one Rob Burrow.”
The emotional posts come as Rob's death was announced over the weekend. The sportsman died at the age of 41 after a four-year battle with motor neurone disease (MND).
He revealed his MND diagnosis in 2019 and has since been part of numerous successful fundraising efforts alongside former team-mate Kevin Sinfield. The pair have raised more than £8million for people affected by MND.
BBC Breakfast covered Burrow’s story extensively, with Sally becoming a close friend of the family. In a social media post the programme wrote: “There is only one Rob Burrow CBE. A warrior. A legend. A family man.
"Our thoughts are with Rob’s family, all at Leeds Rhinos and everyone in the MND community with the news of his death aged 41."
Fans flooded Sally's comments with messages of support for her and Rob's family. One Instagram user wrote: "Honestly, you were one of my first thoughts! Thank you for helping the family highlight this cruel disease. Love to all the family and Rest in Peace Rob."
Another added: "Thought of you when I heard the sad news you brought so much awareness to mind and worked so amazingly with rob and his family. I hope you’re ok! I’m sure there will be a tearful segment on rob on the bbc news in the morning tomorrow xxx". Meanwhile a third penned: " Heartbreaking, your work and friendship you developed with him and his family has been incredible. Thoughts with you all."
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MND is a condition affecting the brain and nerves which gets progressively worse over time. Symptoms include slurred speech, weak grip and muscle cramps, while there is no known cure.
Rob spoke out at the time of his diagnosis, as he said: "I expected to be told I had something that could be treated and move on," he said. "It was a bit of a shock when the doctor told me I had something which has no cure.
"Apart from my voice and a few bits and bobs, I feel normal and good to go. The hardest bit is that you do not know why you have it and there is nothing you can do. Maybe it's the athlete in us all, we don't want to lie down and just take it, we want to compete."
After a well-publicised four-year battle with the disease, Burrow leaves behind wife Lindsey and his three children.
