BBC Breakfast host Sally Nugent, 51, is seen for first time WITHOUT her  wedding ring

Breakfast TV presenter Sally Nugent, 51, has been seen for the first time without her wedding ring – after it was revealed her marriage had broken down. 

The BBC Breakfast star was pictured going for a jog around her local neighbourhood in Cheshire, shielding her face with a blue cap.

She seemed lost in thought as she pounded the streets with ear pods in. 

Notably, her wedding ring was absent, after Mail Online broke the fact that she and her husband Gavin Hawthorn, 52, have decided to go their separate ways.

According to friends, the couple, who have a teenage son, have been ‘moving in different directions’ recently.

BBC Breakfast Host Sally Nugent is seen out jogging near her Cheshire home for the first time since news broke that she has split from her husband 

‘It’s very sad but they are no longer together,’ said the source. 

The source added: ‘I think they tried to tough it out for quite a while as they didn’t want to split up if they could possibly help it for the sake of their son but they clearly couldn’t make a go of it.

‘They’ve both been very guarded about the reasons behind their growing apart but it’s been plain for a while that they had been and now it’s obvious that they haven’t been able to resolve that despite clearly trying for some time.’

Gavin has now reportedly moved out of the couple’s £1.3m home.  

BBC Breakfast Jon Kay and Sally Nugent. The presenter has previously shared her home life with her 70,000 Instagram followers

BBC Breakfast Jon Kay and Sally Nugent. The presenter has previously shared her home life with her 70,000 Instagram followers

The presenter wore a smart watch but no jewellery while out for a run this weekend

The presenter wore a smart watch but no jewellery while out for a run this weekend

Sally Nugent  has been married for 13 years and has a teenage son but the relationship is thought to have hit the rocks

Sally Nugent  has been married for 13 years and has a teenage son but the relationship is thought to have hit the rocks

Sally wore a blue cap, blue power leggings, white trainers and some ear pods as she went out for her early morning jog

Sally wore a blue cap, blue power leggings, white trainers and some ear pods as she went out for her early morning jog  

Speaking out about the split, a source said: 'I think they tried to tough it out for quite a while as they didn't want to split up if they could possibly help it for the sake of their son but they clearly couldn't make a go of it'

Speaking out about the split, a source said: ‘I think they tried to tough it out for quite a while as they didn’t want to split up if they could possibly help it for the sake of their son but they clearly couldn’t make a go of it’

According to friends, TV presenter Sally Nugent (pictured with Sam Quek) and her husband, businessman Gavin Hawthorn, 52, have amicably decided to go their separate ways

According to friends, TV presenter Sally Nugent (pictured with Sam Quek) and her husband, businessman Gavin Hawthorn, 52, have amicably decided to go their separate ways

Gavin Hawthorn pursued a successful career in marketing, working for multinational hotel chains before joining pet superstore business Pets At Home

The couple, who have a teenage son, having been ‘moving in different directions’ recently, according to a friend who knows them

Asked about the state of her marriage at her gated £1.48million four-bed detached house in the upmarket suburb of Hale, Nugent declined to comment

The couple, who have a teenage son, having been ‘moving in different directions’ recently, according to a friend who knows them

The presenter has seen her career go from strength to strength in recent years, going from a sports journalist to becoming a permanent presenter of BBC Breakfast to replace Louise Minchin in late 2021.

While Ms Nugent’s star has risen, her husband has gone from a senior marketing role at Pets at Home to investing in a local franchise for national group The Massage Company near their home in Greater Manchester.

Added their friend: ‘The contrast between their two media careers couldn’t have been more stark.

Asked about the state of her marriage at her gated £1.48million four-bed detached house in the upmarket suburb of Hale, Nugent declined to comment.

Wearing a bright pink coat, the presenter said: ‘I’m not going to say anything, thanks.’

She then shut the front door of the couple’s immaculate Art Deco property, which stands on a quiet cul-de-sac close to the designer boutiques and fashionable bars of the exclusive Greater Manchester neighbourhood.

The couple bought the property for £745,000 in 2012.

It was placed up for sale again last November but is not thought to be on the market currently.

Sally is not believed to have spoken publicly about the identity of her husband, with her biography on the BBC Breakfast website simply saying she is ‘married with one child – a football and rugby-mad boy’.

The presenter, who has never even publicly acknowledged her husband’s name, has seen her career go from strength to strength in recent years

The presenter, who has never even publicly acknowledged her husband’s name, has seen her career go from strength to strength in recent years

Sally has never spoken publicly about the identity of her husband (pictured), with her biography on the BBC Breakfast website simply saying she is ‘married with one child'

Sally has never spoken publicly about the identity of her husband (pictured), with her biography on the BBC Breakfast website simply saying she is ‘married with one child’

However fans were given a rare insight into her personal life in 2021 in the form of a framed photograph showing a bride and groom holding hands which could be glimpsed on a shelf.

The image was visible in a picture Nugent posted to Instagram for the Royal Television Society awards, held during the Covid pandemic.

In the post, Nugent was sitting on the stairs at her home pairing a dark gown with a pair of fluffy slippers, and holding a glass of bubbly.

Other insights into her home life shared with her 70,000 Instagram followers include a video of her dog walking out of the front door into the snow last December.

Nugent has previously told how it can be difficult finding something for all three members of her family to watch.

‘My sofa is in my kitchen diner and there’s a giant flat-screen TV on the wall,’ she told Radio Times.

‘It’s tricky to get something that my husband, my 13-year-old son and I want to watch.’

In another interview she told S Magazine about how her husband marked the birth of their son, saying: ‘When I had our son my husband bought me a “blue for a boy” vintage aquamarine ring from an antique jewellers in Richmond, London.’

Mr Hawthorn meanwhile pursued a successful career in marketing, working for multinational hotel chains before joining pet superstore business Pets At Home where he helped launch its popular VIP loyalty scheme.

After three years on the board of a chain of skin clinics, earlier this year he set up the first Cheshire franchise in nationwide massage centre firm.

After covering major sporting events – including football World Cups - for the BBC, Birkenhead-born Nugent became a regular presenter for BBC Breakfast

After covering major sporting events – including football World Cups – for the BBC, Birkenhead-born Nugent became a regular presenter for BBC Breakfast

The clinic opened at the start of March in the centre of Altrincham, just half-a-mile from the couple’s home.

Mr Hawthorn has been equally coy in public about his married life, with no photographs of Nugent visible on his social media – although in 2016 he shared a tweet from BBC Breakfast inviting followers to guess which presenter owned which dog, with Nugent among those featured.

After covering major sporting events – including football World Cups – for the BBC, Birkenhead-born Nugent became a regular presenter for BBC Breakfast following the departure of Louise Minchin in 2021.

At the time she said of her high-profile move: ‘I couldn’t quite believe it. I’m just delighted to be here.

‘It’s a real honour and all the women who’ve sat here before me have been brilliant.

‘But I have to say, thank you to that brilliant team the other side of the wall there, who are really quite good and have helped me get here.’

She now shares the sofa with Jon Kay.

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