Clive Myrie has responded after viewers raised concerns over his “drooping eye” while he was presenting BBC News on Monday evening.
The broadcaster was on the screen for this evening’s BBC News at Six, dressed in a crisp black suit, white shirt, and navy blue tie. While his right eye was wide open, his left eye appeared half-shut.
Following a stream of concerned tweets on X, Clive released a statement regarding his eye condition, advising fans that he is dealing with a minor infection.
On social media, the anchor of BBC News at Six shared: “Happy N.Year everyone and thank you all for your concern over my left eye. It’s nothing serious, just an infection.”
He added humorously: “I did think about wearing an eye patch, but the boss said no! A bit like Long John Silver. He wasn’t having any of it! Cheers,” reports the Mirror.
Notwithstanding Clive’s assurances, viewers quickly expressed their worry on social media during the broadcast.
A viewer asked, “Can you confirm that Clive Myrie is OK? Clive Myrie’s sty looks pretty sore this evening.”
“@BBCNews, what’s the matter with Clive Myrie’s left eye?” someone else sought clarification as another person questioned: “#bbcnews Is Clive Myrie OK? His eye’s drooping.”
Another comment read: “What’s wrong with Clive Myrie’s eye tonight?”
Echoing the same concern, another tweet stated: “BBCNews is Clive Myrie ok? His left eye is droopy?”
This attention around Clive’s appearance follows a previous moment when he was in the headlines for not declaring his outside earnings.
The newsreader, who recently released a memoir and stars in a travel series, neglected to report £145,000 earned from corporate events over the past year.
This oversight occurred despite BBC director-general Tim Davie’s call for on-screen talent to disclose external earnings and update their declarations quarterly for greater transparency.
Clive issued an apology on X and announced his decision to refrain from participating in any further paid external events for “the foreseeable future”.
He wrote: “An apology I’ve had several administrative issues, and I didn’t fill out the correct paperwork for some of my external public events, so they haven’t been published until now.
“I’ve told the BBC I won’t be taking part in any more paid external events in the foreseeable future, beyond a handful of pre-existing commitments, so that this doesn’t happen again.”