BBC Breakfast's Naga Munchetty defends star after he's harshly branded 'absolutely stupid'
Naga Munchetty stepped out in defence of a Paralympian star after an "absolutely stupid" jibe on BBC Breakfast.
Naga Munchetty tells sports presenter at least 'he's good at it'
BBC Breakfast's Naga Munchetty was astonished to find that Paralympian Martin Perry had self-deprecatingly branded himself "absolutely stupid". She'd been chatting to her co-star Chetan Pathak, who regularly presents sports segments on the show.
"Martin says playing table tennis with no hands is absolutely stupid, but he loves it and the life that he's given him, so good luck to Martin at the Paralympics this summer," Chetan exclaimed. Naga was shocked, shooting back: "He may be absolutely stupid, but he's good at it!"
The odds were stacked against Martin, who not only has one hand, but is missing a leg. However, the determined Scotsman, from Drumschapel, had a chance encounter with table tennis aged 16 while at a summer camp - and he hasn't looked back since.
He'll now appear in Paris this year to represent Great Britain in the Paralympics team. He told BBC Breakfast host Sally Hurst that what had started out as a game has now become a passion that has "taken over his life".
"Choosing to play table tennis when you've got no hands is nothing short of absolutely stupid, but I have so much fun when I play,” he had explained. “I travel the world, it has given me a career, a purpose, and obviously the goal of getting to the Paralympic Games!"
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On the BBC footage, Martin could be seen courageously changing and caring for his baby daughter Beira, despite struggling to grip everyday items due to not having hands.
He hasn't let his disability be a barrier to bonding with the little girl he shares with wife Siobhan, and is also ever resilient when it comes to his Olympic dream.
He's finally qualified, on his this attempt, and will be heading to the French capital this summer.
Siobhan previously told BBC Sport that her husband was fiercely "determined" and that the only things he cannot accomplish are doing up buttons and shoelaces.
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She added that he's been so dedicated to the sport that he was doing training just three days after his daughter's birth.
Elsewhere on the show, Naga presented a segment about a proposed deal to end to the conflict in Gaza, with US President Biden declaring: "Hamas say they want a ceasefire - this is an opportunity to prove whether they really mean it."
The worrying trend of children dying at the jaws of XL Bully dogs was also featured, with one concerned viewer taking to Twitter to exclaim that owners of the banned breed should be "culled".
"XL Bully dogs should be culled. It’s pathetic that these killers are still a living breed. I also think the owners should be culled too!" they wrote.
However, referring to the RSPCA's claim that blanket bans on specific breeds would not be effective, another argued: "All dogs can attack and Sensible Dog owners Know this..! #BBCBreakfast." (sic)
