BBC Wales Today anchor Lucy Owen has apologised to viewers after losing her voice live on air. The incident occurred during the latest broadcast when she was reading headlines about Wrexham football club. Owen suddenly began coughing uncontrollably, forcing her to quickly pass the presentation to weather presenter Derek Brockway.
On-Air Incident
Viewers watched as Owen, 54, struggled to continue reading. She reached for a glass of water on her desk before saying, 'Excuse me, let's get the weather forecast now, here's Derek.' The unexpected coughing fit interrupted the news bulletin, prompting her to hand over control.
Apology and Reaction
Following the broadcast, Owen took to Instagram to address the incident, sharing a clip of the moment. She wrote: 'This has only happened to me once before, and it's an awful feeling. I really didn't think I was going to get to the end of the story. Fine during rehearsal, but it just came out of the blue.' She added: 'If you were watching huge apologies, at least you got most of your news croak and cough-free.'
Owen also thanked her colleague, writing: 'Thank goodness I could hand to hero @derektheweather to save me.'
Support from Fans
The broadcaster received an outpouring of support from viewers. One commented: 'Pro! Well done for getting through it.' Another said: 'It's an awful feeling, you were so professional. Hope you're feeling better today.' A third fan sympathised: 'Bless you Lucy, but it shows you are real and human and if anything that shows these things can happen on live tv (and why that glass of water isn't a prop!)'
One fan shared a personal story: 'I'm a lecturer and one day my voice started going until finally it completely went - right in the middle of a lecture. I couldn't even tell them to leave. I just shooed them away!'
Career Background
Lucy Owen, married to Welsh presenter Rhodri Owen, began her broadcasting career at BBC Radio Wales as a researcher. She moved to HTV Wales in 1995 as a newsreader, eventually fronting Wales Tonight. Her career progressed to the now-defunct ITV News Channel, where she presented bulletins, and she also anchored the main ITV News. In 2007, she joined the BBC, becoming a regular face on BBC Wales Today. She has also presented the BBC Wales consumer programme X Ray.
