Victoria Derbyshire apologises after saying she will break rule of six at Christmas

BBC presenter backtracks on comments claiming she would flout coronavirus restrictions to have family of seven together

Victoria Derbyshire has apologised after saying she would break the ‘rule of six’ at Christmas (Yui Mok/PA)

Victoria Derbyshire has apologised for saying she would break the “rule of six" to celebrate Christmas with her family.  

The BBC presenter had said she would defy the coronavirus restriction to have her family of seven, including her elderly mother and father-in-law, together over the festive period.  

However she has now backtracked on the comments, saying they were “totally wrong” and “hypothetical”.  

The journalist wrote in a tweet: “I’m starting the day by saying I’m sorry: a few weeks ago the Radio Times asked me (amongst other things) what would potentially happen at Christmas with my own family if the rule of six was still in place.  

“I talked about my mum, her partner and my dad-in-law spending it with us – making seven in our home in a Tier One area (medium).  

London entered tier 2 lockdown restrictions on 17 October. 

“It was hypothetical – however I was totally wrong to say it and I’m sorry. We’ll of course continue to follow whatever rules are in place on 25 December.”  

The 52-year-old, whose Bafta-winning current affairs show was axed in March amid cuts, said in the original interview she felt “almost irresponsible” for saying she would break the government’s rules but that her family "has to be together at Christmas”.  

She told the Radio Times: "If the rule of six is still in place at Christmas, we're breaking it to have the rule of seven. We just are.  

"Joining me, my husband and our two boys will be my mum, her partner and my husband's dad.  

"It's fine. We'll do it knowing what the risks are. We're not stupid.  

"We're going to be sensible and buy a thermometer gun. But we have to be together at Christmas.”  Derbyshire, who lives in London and has sons Oliver, 16, and Joe, 13, with her husband Mark, said she had not been able to see her mother often because she lives in Bolton.  

The Victoria Derbyshire Show began in 2015 and was broadcast live on BBC Two and the BBC News channel every weekday from 10am.  

Derbyshire, who lives in London and has sons Oliver, 16, and Joe, 13, with her husband Mark, said she had not been able to see her mother often because she lives in Bolton. 

The programme won a Bafta in 2017 and has been nominated for several awards, including the RTS presenter prize.  

Additional reporting by PA