Naga Munchetty reportedly left the I’m Every Woman – The Chaka Khan Musical during an interval and did not return for the second half.
The BBC presenter’s early exit on Tuesday night came after the Chaka Khan musical began 40 minutes late at the Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre in north London, according to the Daily Mail.
The Alexandra Burke-led performance had been scheduled to start at 7pm. However, organisers are said to have held the curtain until Chaka, the evening’s guest of honour, had finished her red carpet interviews and taken her seat.
She was reportedly seated at around 7.40pm, allowing the performance to get underway.
Naga Munchetty reportedly leaves during interval
An attendee claimed the delay caused frustration inside the theatre, telling the publication: “The crowd got very restless.”
During the interval, Naga was reportedly seen leaving the venue and later walking hand in hand with her husband, James Haggar, towards the Tube station.
She reportedly did not return for the remainder of the performance. No reason was given for her departure, so it is unclear why she left early.
Naga had reportedly been among the final celebrity guests to arrive and did not pose on the red carpet.
An unnamed source claimed her departure could upset members of the publicity team because the venue was full and only a limited number of VIP tickets had been available.
The insider said: “Naga’s early departure is likely to ruffle feathers among the publicity team. The venue was at capacity for the performance, and they were only able to offer VIP tickets to a select number of celebs.”
Alexandra Burke takes on Chaka Khan role
I’m Every Woman: The Musical tells the story of Chaka’s life, with Alexandra Burke playing the music star.
The production runs for two hours and 30 minutes.
Naga’s appearance came days after it was announced that she would leave BBC Breakfast following 17 years on the programme.
She is preparing to move to Radio 5 Live’s breakfast show in the new year, replacing departing presenters Rachel Burden and Rick Edwards.
ED! has contacted Naga’s representatives for comment.
Read more: Helen Skelton tipped to replace Naga Munchetty on BBC Breakfast following Morning Live success: ‘Wouldn’t rule her out’
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