Chris Hughes, a former Love Island contestant, has been “spoken to” by the BBC after calling female cricketer Maitlan Brown a “little Barbie”.
Hughes was working for the broadcaster as an in-game interviewer during its coverage of The Hundred, the domestic limited-overs competition that the English Cricket Board hopes will expand the appeal of the game.
The presenter was interviewing Brown, an Australian player, as she was representing the Southern Braves during their clash against Trent Rockets.
Speaking about the togetherness in her team, Brown said: “We watched Barbie the other night all together and it was really good team bonding and the group is gelling really well together.”
Hughes replied: “You’re a little Barbie yourself, aren’t you, with your blue eyes.” As Brown laughed nervously, Hughes added: “She’s blushing now.”
After the comments generated a backlash on social media, a BBC spokesperson said: “We have spoken to Chris and explained that his comment was not appropriate.”
As well as presenting coverage of The Hundred, Hughes has also worked on ITV’s horse racing programmes. He appeared in the 2017 series of Love Island, finishing third.