Channel Nine’s Danika Mason has revealed she received the support of the rugby league media community after she appeared drunk live on air during the Winter Olympics.
The TV presenter made headlines after slurring her words during a live segment with hosts Karl Stefanovic and Jayne Azzopardi.
Mason apologised for the incident live on air the very next day, confirming the rumours that she had been drunk during her appearance.
‘And guys, just before we do go, I just want to take a moment if that’s okay, just to apologise,’ she began.
‘I also wanted to say thank you for everyone who has reached out. I’m okay. Probably just a little bit embarrassed.
‘Look, I totally misjudged a situation. I shouldn’t have had a drink. And especially in these conditions, it’s cold. We’ve got altitude. And not having had dinner probably didn’t help as well.
Danika Mason admitted she spiralled after her drunken appearance during the Winter Olympics
The Channel Nine presenter said she feared the worst, but managed to feel better after receiving support from Andrew Johns and Karl Stefanovic
‘But I want to take full responsibility. It’s not the standard that I set for myself.
‘So in saying that, I am genuinely sorry.’
Mason admitted the fallout was difficult to deal with as she was left fearing for the worst in the immediacy.
‘I look back on that, I knew straight away that I had screwed up and the next 24 hours I was in a spiral I was just thinking the world’s worst,’ she told Triple M Rocks Footy NRL.
‘I was thinking this is my job gone, this is this gone.’
But she credited the support and calls from the rugby league community in helping her settle back down after her spiral.
Mason made an on-air apology shortly after her appearance
Danika Mason and Liam Knight have since announced the pair are expecting their first child
‘The rugby league community that was calling me was insane, she started.
‘I remember Joey – Andrew Johns – he rings me and Kate, his wife, is in the background, he’s like ‘even Kate found it funny’ and I was like ‘oh God’.
‘He was an incredible support, he kept on FaceTiming me and checking in.
‘Liam [Knight] was in England and I was phone with him and I said whatever you do, don’t watch it, and then I had another call coming in.
‘I was like hang on, I will call you back in four minutes, I hang up on my other call and I call him back and he’s like great timing, I just finished it.’
She also credits co-host Karl Stefanovic with helping her in the moment, ‘He was great, he rang me and talked me through it and said ‘what are you going to do?’
‘I said ‘I’m going to come out and apologise, you can’t take people for fools’ and he was like ‘perfect, we’ll be here for you”.’
Life has certainly taken a turn for the better after her embarrassing on air moment, as Mason and her partner Liam Knight announced they are expecting their first child.
‘We feel so honoured to be brought into your households every single morning, so when there’s news here, it’s nice to share it with you guys first before the rest of the world gets to hear about it,’ Danika said on the Today show.
‘So Liam and I are expecting a little girl, due December – so off-season will be a little bit busier this year.’
