Samantha Armytage pokes fun at her painful injury as she returns to Today in a leg brace

Samantha Armytage resumed her co-hosting duties on the Today show on Wednesday morning after a two-day absence, sporting a leg brace following a painful injury setback.

Earlier this week, the veteran presenter, 49, revealed to her Instagram followers that she had fractured her ankle while taking out the rubbish over the weekend.

But Sam was back at the co-hosting desk on Wednesday alongside Tom Steinfort, with a grey leg brace strapped to her injured leg to help support her recovery.

Fortunately, the injury did little to dampen her spirits, with Sam still joking with her co-host and throwing herself into an in-depth interview with Olympic breakdancer Raygun.

The presenter appeared to be taking the setback in her stride as she enthusiastically returned to the studio in a blue-and-white striped top paired with grey pants that matched her brace.

Sam later found the humorous side of her injury, sharing a photo of herself and Raygun posing together on the Channel Nine set, with both women proudly showing off their legs as she captioned the snap with a cheeky quip. 

'She breaks the dance and the internet... I break the ankle!' Sam joked. 

Earlier this week, Sam told her followers that she had been temporarily incapacitated after injuring her ankle.

Sitting on the couch with her foot and ankle in a brace, she filmed herself talking to the camera before turning the lens on her extremely inflamed ankle and foot. 

'One for the foot fetish brigade (of which there are many). Excuse the manky week-old Logies spray tan...' she wrote alongside laughing, crying and vomiting emojis. 

Sam also uploaded a video of herself on the couch explaining how she'd ended up in a foot brace. 

'I know what you're thinking, why is she lying there with her ankle raised above her heart? Well, say hello to my little friend,' she said, pointing the camera at her foot.

Sam said that she had fractured her ankle in 'a couple of places' while performing the mundane task.

'I wish I had a sexy story for you... but I don't. I was taking the rubbish out over the weekend one morning and I just missed the bottom step and twisted it,' she said. 

'And I was wearing runners, I wasn't even wearing heels, so I have torn all the ligaments away from the bone and part of the bone away.'

Sam, however, maintained a chipper disposition despite the unfortunate situation. 

[There are] a lot of people out there doing it a lot tougher than I am this week, but I am endeavouring to be back on air tomorrow for the Today show,' she continued. 

'I was meant to be in this week and we've just got to work out how to cover the boot. Anyway, any sympathy is greatly appreciated. I'll see you in the morning. Bye!' 

Sam and Channel Nine star Tom Steinfort look set to become the new hosts of the Today show after their stint on the breakfast program at the start of this month led to a boost in ratings.

Nine has been trialling hosts for the show since Karl Stefanovic left in June, following the fallout from his controversial interview with British far-right activist Tommy Robinson on his podcast. Sarah Abo went on maternity leave last month.

And it seems they found the right fit in Tom, 41, and Samantha as they helped lift ratings by an impressive 60,000 viewers.

According to The Australian, the ten per cent ratings boost has seen Channel Nine bosses eye the pair for permanent appointments.