Channel 5 presenter Dani Sinha faced backlash after a series of on-air blunders while announcing the death of singer Bonnie Tyler. The 80s music legend died this week at age 75, prompting tributes praising her 'extraordinary' vocals and sparkling personality.
Fumbled Name and Rustling Papers
Sinha began the segment by misnaming Tyler's iconic 1983 hit 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' as 'Total Of Eclipse'. She then paused to check her papers, which rustled audibly on the microphone. 'Singer Bonnie Tyler has died at the age of 75,' she said, before continuing: 'The Total Of Eclipse star had been previously placed in an induced coma after having emergency intestinal surgery near her home in Faro, Portugal. She was due to tour Europe later this year.'
Awkward Camera Cut and Eye Roll
The segment cut to a clip of Tyler performing the song, with lyrics 'Now I'm only falling apart.' When the camera abruptly returned to the studio, Sinha was caught off guard, rolling her eyes and shaking her head at someone off-screen before quickly regaining composure. Viewers criticized the error-riddled delivery, with Instagram user emmabrainofficial writing: 'Ouch that's really bad. If you know they're cutting back to you, keep it professional. Also, why was her mic still on to hear the papers rustling? Mess ups all round here.'
Some defended Sinha, attributing the issues to technical difficulties. Tom Barnwell commented: 'I think the presenter has been let down here.. just unfortunate whilst giving out this news but hey, mistakes happen and we're all human.' Christieamz_photography suggested: 'She was totally let down on autocue and the clip. She was frustrated with technical errors.'
Poor Taste in Clip Selection
Others noted that choosing the part of Tyler's hit where she sings 'now I'm only falling apart' was in poor taste given the context of her death. This incident follows a similar blunder by the BBC, which displayed 'David Hockney resigns' during a news bulletin about the artist's death. Metro has reached out to Channel 5 for comment.
