BBC Morning Live's Gethin Jones says he's 'taking a hit for the team' as he's replaced

Gethin Jones has joked he's "taking a hit for the team," as he heads away from the BBC Morning Live studio for the day to present from Wimbledon. The tennis tournament kicked off earlier this week and the Welsh presenter has shared his excitement at attending.

It means that the 46-year-old will be replaced in the studio. It had previously been reported that Jason Manford would be hosting the show alongside Helen but it's since been confirmed that Sara Davies will present.

Taking to Instagram, Gethin explained why he would be absent from the famous sofa during the episode set to air on Wednesday, July 3. He said: "Taking a hit for the team today, I've come all the way to Wimbledon for a behind-the-scenes look for Morning Live viewers, I know... I'm a hero.

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"I'm very excited to be here actually and I am chatting to some brilliant people, I'm speaking to the head of balls distribution and I'm supposed to keep a straight face whilst I do that, and then the teams behind the water, the towels, the rackets and how they predict British weather... no mean feat."

He added: "9:30am Morning Live starts and I'll be popping up throughout the show." Back in the Manchester-based studio Sara will present alongside Helen Skelton.

Explaining the change on Instagram, Sara said: "Morning, so no early running this morning because I had a 5am start. I am on Morning Live because our lovely Gethin has decided to have the morning off, he's decided to have a jolly down in Wimbledon, as you would, strawberries and cream and all.

"He is presenting live into Morning Live from what's going on in Wimbledon so of course they needed somebody in the studio with the lovely Helen so me and Helen will be on the sofa on Morning Live and Gethin will be live from Wimbledon so should be a lovely morning."

It comes after Jason Manford made his debut on the show as he stepped in for Gethin last week. The comedian's debut went down a storm with BBC viewers.

Prior to his appearance, Jason playfully cautioned that he might "bring a little chaos" to the set. He said: "I'm delighted to have been asked to guest co-host Morning Live this week. I always love supporting a Manchester-based show and every time I've been on as a guest, the team has always been a real pleasure to work with."

He also added "I'm looking forward to bringing a little chaos to the sofa once we go live!"