BBC viewers still reeling from the departure of Carol Kirkwood got another surprise last night when presenter Lizzie Rizzini appeared to flash her black lace stockings on the Six O’Clock News.

The weather presenter, 49, wore a sleek denim zip-up dress and glamorous beige, studded heels as she talked through the forecast.

However, a suggestive hint of a black band around the top of her leg plunged social media intro frenzy over the ‘racy’ display.

‘All the dads have had to have a lie-down in a darkened room whilst they recover,’ one joked on X, while another quipped they had never they ‘seen stocking tops on the BBC before’.

Another added: ‘Certainly brightens up dull weather.’

However, despite the hundreds of comments that followed, some women claimed the reality was probably more mundane.

‘Sorry to rain on your parade but suspect they are cycling shorts or thermals,’ one explained. ‘Never seen natural covered stockings with black tops.’

Another suggested it may have been a technical thigh strap used to help hold her microphone up.

Elsewhere, a comment read: ‘There is life after Carol Kirkwood.’

People tuning into the weather on telly don’t expect to have their pulses set racing, but last night BBC presenter Lizzie Rizzini caused a stir as viewers were convinced they could see a flash of black lace stocking during her segment on the six o’clock news

The  TV star, 49, wore a sleek denim zip-up dress and glamorous beige, studded heels as she talked through the upcoming forecast

It comes as, on Tuesday, BBC weather legend Carol Kirkwood fought back tears as she revealed that she will leave the network in April after more than 25 years with the broadcaster.

The 63-year-old struggled to get her words out as she announced the news on BBC Breakfast – immediately after delivering the latest on Storm Chandra.

Met Office-trained Carol choked up as she joined presenters Sally Nugent and Jon Kay on the programme’s sofa and said: ‘So, I’m going to be leaving – and it’s really hard, really hard for me to say this because I love my job.

‘But it’s great – I don’t want to be coming in in my Zimmer frame and saying, “I can’t reach the Northern Isles anymore!”.’

Carol, who hails from Morar on the west coast of Scotland near the Isle of Skye, says she plans to spend more time with her husband, police officer Steve Randall, whom she wed at the end of 2023.

However, a suggestive hint of a black band around the top of her leg plunged social media intro frenzy, as those tuning in were scandalised by the ‘racy’ display

Lizzie Rizzini, on social media, refers to herself as a ‘Wimbledon wannabe, supermum and superb plate-spinner’

According to her LinkedIn, Lizzie has been working at the BBC for the past 14 years

However, despite the hundreds of comments that followed Lizzie’s broadcast, some women claimed the reality was probably more mundane – and suggested the strap was from bike shorts

‘We only got married a couple of years ago and we’re ships that pass in the night so I’m so looking forward to doing that,’ she said, adding that the pair hope to travel, and she will be able to spend more time writing novels, having already published five.

Carol had kept the news of her departure secret from everyone – including her friends and her colleagues at BBC Breakfast.

She added with a smile: ‘I love my job, I’ve loved working at the BBC, but I love my husband more than my job.’

Turning to Sally and Jon, she added: ‘I didn’t want to get emotional but you two are my friends and I love you dearly.’

As Carol finished delivering the news, Sally held her hand and Jon reached for a box of tissues, before both giving her a tight hug.

Sally joked: ‘There’s one important thing that we haven’t mentioned, which is that you are going to get a lie in.’

Carol’s BBC career has regularly seen her go above and beyond the use of a clicker.

She has memorably reported on sunshine and showers at Wimbledon, the Chelsea Flower Show and Royal Ascot for BBC Breakfast, where she has been the main weather presenter since 2010.

And her sunny disposition has seen her laugh through the perils of live broadcasting, including being dragged to the ground by dogs on more than one occasion and laughing off a gaffe in which she called dog-walkers in Greenwich Park ‘doggers’.