Claudia Winkleman was forced to apologise just minutes into a live radio appearance after accidentally using the f-word in front of a 10-year-old boy. The incident occurred on Friday morning (March 20) during an interview on Heart Radio's Breakfast Show with Amanda Holden and Jamie Theakston.
The former Strictly Come Dancing star was promoting her new BBC One talk show when the hosts allowed young Finley to try his hand at interviewing. After the segment, Winkleman thanked the boy, saying: 'Thank you so much to our young interviewer, Finley. Bye, darling.' As the show moved to an ad break, she thought they were off air and exclaimed: 'Oh no! For f*** sake!'
Realising Finley was still connected via video link, she cried out: 'Oh no, Finley's still there! I'm so sorry! Finley, do not be me, ever! I'm so sorry, Finley!' The studio erupted in laughter, with Amanda Holden reassuring her that 'I bet mummy swears.'
This comes after Graham Norton defended Winkleman's new chat show, which debuted to mixed reviews. While some critics praised her 'warmth' and 'wit', others branded it 'boring'. Norton, whose production company So Television produces the show, told the Daily Mail: 'What Claudia did was the Claudia Winkleman show... She shouldn't be trying to be me. She should be trying to be Claudia, and she nailed that.'
Despite the positive feedback from Norton, Winkleman herself has been dismissive of the programme. During the Heart Radio interview, she called her own show 'awful' and urged listeners not to watch it. When Jamie Theakston reminded her she was there to promote it, she joked: 'If you mention it again, I'm going to get violent. I suggest people don't watch [it]. There's only a few more, let's pretend it never happened.'
The Claudia Winkleman Show continues tonight at 10.40pm on BBC One.
