A BBC news anchor was forced to hand over the live bulletin she was presenting and has now updated fans13:52, 21 May 2026Updated 13:52, 21 May 2026BBC Wales Today anchor loses her voice on air A BBC news anchor has apologised to viewers after an on-air struggle.‌Lucy Owen updated BBC Wales viewers after being forced to hand over the news bulletin to her colleague mid-broadcast.‌The BBC Wales Today presenter was reading the headlines during the latest programme when she suffered a sudden coughing fit, prompting her to quickly pass over to weather presenter Derek Brockway.‌Viewers watched as Lucy began coughing while reading a story about Wrexham football club. Struggling to continue, she reached for the glass of water on her desk.She then said: "Excuse me, let's get the weather forecast now, here's Derek." The 54-year-old has since addressed the incident on Instagram, sharing a message to her followers along with a clip of the moment.The broadcaster, a long-standing favourite with audiences, posted on Thursday, 21 May: "This has only happened to me once before, and it's an awful feeling. I really didn't think I was going to get to the end of the story. Fine during rehearsal, but it just came out of the blue," reports Wales Online.‌"If you were watching huge apologies, at least you got most of your news croak and cough-free."Lucy also expressed her gratitude to Derek, writing: "Thank goodness I could hand to hero @derektheweather to save me."‌The mother-of-one received an outpouring of support from fans, with one commenting: "Pro! Well done for getting through it.." Another added: "It's an awful feeling, you were so professional. Hope you're feeling better today."Another viewer sympathised: "Bless you Lucy, but it shows you are real and human and if anything that shows these things can happen on live tv (and why that glass of water isn't a prop!)"A fourth chimed in: "Lucy , don't feel too bad. I remember when I was in choir back in the days and as I did a solo, my voice cracked. I was a bit surprised but I took it in stride. You handled this very nicely."‌One fan recounted their own mishap: "I'm a lecturer and one day my voice started going until finally it completely went - right in the middle of a lecture. I couldn't even tell them to leave. I just shooed them away!"Lucy, married to Welsh presenter Rhodri Owen, started her broadcasting journey at BBC Radio Wales as a researcher before moving to HTV Wales in 1995 as a newsreader, eventually fronting Wales Tonight.Article continues belowHer career progressed to the now-defunct ITV News Channel, where she presented bulletins, and she also anchored the main ITV News. In 2007, she made the switch to the BBC, becoming a regular face on BBC Wales Today. She's also presented the BBC Wales consumer programme X Ray.