Emotional Clare Balding opened up on heartbreaking death of jockey whose teeth she mocked
Clare Balding opened up on an incident involving a jockey following the Grand National.
Clare Balding struggled to hold back the tears when recalling her coverage of the Grand National in 2009.
Mon Mome, a 100/1 outsider, cruised to victory at Aintree Racecourse to cause a major upset in one of the most famous results in the history of the steeplechase.
The Venetia Williams-trained gelding was ridden by jockey Liam Treadwell on the day, in what was his first-ever ride in the Grand National. However, the gloss was taken off the victory by Balding following his triumph.
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Whilst presenting for the BBC, Balding approached Treadwell and joked that he would now be able to have his smile transformed, poking fun at his teeth. She said: “Liam, just give us a big grin to the camera.
“No, no, let's see your teeth. He hasn't got the best teeth in the world, but you can afford to go and get them done now if you like.” Treadwell maturely responded: “Well I could do, but I ain't complaining. It might be bringing on bad luck if I do that, though.”
The comments caused uproar and countless OFCOM complaints were lodged, in what was one of the very few blips in Balding’s broadcasting career. Dentists also offered to fix Treadwell’s teeth free of charge, which was an offer that the National Hunt jockey could not refuse.
Treadwell has since passed away, aged 34. Recalling her incident with the jockey in an interview with The Telegraph, Balding had to pause for a moment to prevent her emotions from getting the better of her.
She explained: “I did an awful thing and I genuinely didn’t mean any harm. I was probably just trying to be funny and I misjudged it completely. You know, obviously, what’s happened since makes it very difficult to talk about. Liam’s mum and I are in touch fairly regularly. Sorry, I just can’t believe he’s not here.”
Treadwell revealed that he had received an apology from Balding following the incident and insisted that the remark did not ruin what was a monumental day in his career. He said: “When I turned my phone back on as we left the course, hers was one of the first messages. I can't remember exactly what it said but she did say sorry.
“Of course, it was the wrong thing for her to say, and under normal circumstances, I might have said something back, but yesterday wasn't a normal day. I was on top of the world and nothing could ruin that.”
