C-word curse of Jeremy Hunt: Victoria Derbyshire latest broadcaster to call foreign secretary a ‘****’
He is bidding to be the next prime minister, but most of Britain’s broadcasters are still struggling to utter his surname correctly.
The C-word curse of Jeremy Hunt struck again on Monday, when BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire became the latest media presenter to stumble over the foreign secretary’s name.
Like several others before her, she called him “Jeremy C***” instead of “Jeremy Hunt”.
She made the error during an exchange on her own weekday news and current affairs programme during a four-way debate over who should be the next Tory leader.
Ms Derbyshire, 50, said she was especially embarrassed because it was usually men who made the mistake.
Addressing Tory MP Steve Brine, she said: "You say the man you are backing, Jeremy C*** ... I'm so sorry, Jeremy Hunt.”
She quickly realised her mistake, saying: "I've never said that before in my life.
“It's normally men who say that so I really, really want to apologise."
The BBC's subtitle service managed to avoid further embarrassment by substituting the word with "EXPLETIVE".
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It is not the first time a BBC presenter has been embarrassed by the foreign secretary's name.
And Ms Derbyshire’s point that it is usually male broadcasters who make the Hunt mistake is valid.
James Naughtie made the error when Mr Hunt was culture secretary, while Justin Webb tripped up when the minister was health and social care secretary.
Andrew Marr said it while talking about Mr Naughtie’s own mistake just an hour or so earlier, while Nicky Campbell made the same mistake only last week.
Sky News presenter Jon Craig has also replaced the H in Hunt with a C during a live broadcast.
Mr Hunt, launching his leadership campaign, referenced the blunder as he was asked whether he was a "continuity Theresa May".
He said: "Anyone who knows what my last name rhymes with will know I've been called a whole lot worse on the Today programme, on the BBC and I will be quite different to any of the prime ministers I have served."
