Danika Mason apology: Nine star sorry for drinking before viral bizarre TV cross from Italy

Danika Mason has issued a grovelling apology after a viral live TV cross where she was slurring her words and struggling to form sentences.

The Today Show sports reporter admitted on Thursday that she should not have gone on air after drinking.

On Wednesday morning, viewers were left baffled, confused and concerned over Mason’s condition, as she struggled to remain coherent during a cross from Livingo, Italy, as part of the winter games coverage.

“The price of coffee over here is actually fine. It’s actually the price of coffee in the US we have to get used to. I’m not sure about the iguanas?” she said, as Karl Stefanovic and Jayne Azzopardi looked on, both amused and confused.

“Where are we going with that one?” Mason added.

As Mason delivered the unusual remarks, her speech became slurred and she stumbled over words while reporting outside in the cold.

At one point, she jumped into a pile of snow to giggle about how much there was.

On Thursday, a serious Mason was back on screens ready to apologise.

During her early morning cross, she admitted she “misjudged a situation”.

“Guys, just before we do go, I just want to take a moment, if that’s okay, just to apologise,” she said.

“I also wanted to thank everyone who has reached out. I’m just a little bit embarrassed. I totally misjudged a situation. I shouldn’t have had a drink, and especially in these conditions. It’s cold, we’ve got altitude, and not having had dinner probably didn’t help as well.”

Mason said she wanted to “take full responsibility” for the bizarre incident.

“It’s not the standard that I set for myself. So in saying that, I’m really sorry … and I’m grateful for those messages that I have received as well,” she said on Thursday.

“But we have an amazing few days left here at the Winter Olympics, so hopefully we can turn our attention back to that. I’ll be back in about half an hour’s time for more sport right here.”

Sources inside Nine questioned after the cross how Mason was allowed on air, and why she wasn’t cut off during the segment.

Even if producers didn’t cut her off, Karl and Jayne (Azzopardi) have been in this game long enough to know she should not have been on air,” the source told the Daily Telegraph.

“There’s an entire control room of staff who could have cut her from the broadcast.”

Initially, Stefanovic attempted to brush off the incident as a result of the cold temperature in Livingo, suggesting Mason was unable to speak and was slurring because her lips were frozen.

After Mason’s apology, Stefanovic, who once went on air after a massive night at the Logies in a questionable condition, joked that he didn’t recall the incident that the reporter was apologising for.

“I don’t even know what you’re talking about,” he said.