GMTV legend Penny Smith made a surprise return to television on Friday with an appearance on Morning Live and now it's thought that she could be seen on the BBC show on a more permanent basis19:33, 29 May 2026Penny Smith has made a return to breakfast TV - 16 years after she left ITV's morning show. The presenter, 67, became a household name more than 30 years ago when she was chosen to front GMTV, and stayed with the programme until 2010.‌Over the course of 17 years, Penny fronted the popular ITV show and appeared alongside the likes of Lorraine Kelly, Fiona Philllips and Eammon Holmes amongst a host of others but left just as the format was retooled into Daybreak in late 2010, some four years before it was replaced by Good Morning Britain.‌On Friday, Penny made a huge comeback to television as she made a surprise appearance on Morning Live, which was launched on BBC One in 2020 and acts as a natural rival to ITV staples Lorraine and This Morning, airing in the same timeslot. When she appeared on air, Penny presented an item that dealt with the EU's controversial fingerprint scanner.‌It's now thought that Penny, who has spent her time since GMTV appearing on radio and presenting cover on GB News, could be about to take up a more permanent role on the BBC show.The programme is predominantly presented by Michelle Ackerley, Gethin Jones, and Helen Skelton whilst the likes of former Coronation Street actress Kym Marsh, Girls Aloud singer Kimberley Walsh and BBC star Gaby Roslin have also stepped in from time to time.‌A source told the Mail: "Penny is hugely talented, experienced, and was much-loved during her days on ITV, so it was a great move by BBC bosses to bring her into Morning Live. There's certainly scope to have her feature more in the future!"On the last Morning Live of the week, Penny presented a special segment investigating the chaos faced by tourists caught up in the EU's new fingerprint scanner during the show which was hosted by Gethin Jones and Michelle Ackerley.‌Penny was out on the ground at Manchester chatting to people travelling through the airport while also meeting up with a young woman who missed her flight due to the chaos.She then tried a number of different substances on her hands, from water to moisturiser and an alcohol wipe, to see how it impacted the results on the fingerprint scanner. All produced different results.Fans were thrilled to see the TV star back on screen, and flooded social media with their reactions. One said: "Can we please see more of Penny Smith on Morning Live?"Article continues belowAnother said: "Great to see Penny Smith back on TV," and a third wrote: "Great to have Penny back on morning telly where she belongs."Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .