In a statement, Fiona Bruce said she was stepping back from her role as an ambassador with domestic abuse charity Refuge “with real sadness” over comments she made on Thursday’s edition of Question Time on the BBC.

On the March 9 programme, Ms Bruce interrupted after panel member and journalist Tasmin Alibhai-Brown said Stanley Johnson’s alleged history of violence was “on record”.

She said: “I’m not disputing what you’re saying, but just so everyone knows what this is referring to, Stanley Johnson’s wife spoke to a journalist, Tom Bower, and she said that Stanley Johnson had broken her nose and that she’d ended up in hospital as a result.

Fiona Bruce has stepped back as an ambassador of domestic abuse charity Refuge following claims she had trivialised domestic violence during a discussion about Stanley Johnson on Question Time.

“Stanley Johnson has not commented publicly on that. Friends of his have said it did happen but it was a one-off.”

In a statement following the airing of the episode the 58-year-old former newsreader, and BBCQT host confirmed she would be stepping back from her role at Refuge, a charity which provides specialist support for women and children experiencing domestic violence. In a statement Bruce said that she was “required to legally contextualise” a response about Mr Johnson and the words are not an expression of her own opinions and she would never minimise domestic abuse.

She said:

“It is with real sadness that I have decided to step back from my role as an ambassador for the domestic abuse charity Refuge.

“Last week on Question Time, I was required to legally contextualise a question about Stanley Johnson. Those words have been taken as an expression of my own opinions which they are absolutely not, and as a minimising of domestic abuse, which I would never do.

“I know survivors of domestic abuse have been distressed by what I was required to say on-air. For that, I am deeply sorry. I cannot change what I was required to say, but I can apologise for the very real impact that I can see it has had.”

On the March 9 programme, Ms Bruce interrupted after panel member and journalist Tasmin Alibhai-Brown said Stanley Johnson’s alleged history of violence was “on record”.

Ms Bruce then said: “I’m not disputing what you’re saying, but just so everyone knows what this is referring to, Stanley Johnson’s wife spoke to a journalist, Tom Bower, and she said that Stanley Johnson had broken her nose and that she’d ended up in hospital as a result.

“Stanley Johnson has not commented publicly on that. Friends of his have said it did happen but it was a one-off.”

“I have been a passionate advocate and campaigner for all survivors of domestic abuse, and have used my privileged position as a woman in the public eye to bring this issue to the fore, notably in my work for over 25 years with Refuge. But following the events of last week, I have faced a social media storm, much of which mischaracterised what I said and took the form of personal abuse directed at me.

“The only people that matter in all this are the survivors, they are my priority. The last thing in the world that I would want is that this issue in any way creates a distraction from Refuge’s critical work on their behalf, and therefore I think the right thing to do is to step back from my role with Refuge.

“This has been a hard decision for me as I feel so strongly about promoting their work and advancing awareness of this issue. I will continue to be an active supporter, albeit from the sidelines for now.”

Domestic abuse charity Refuge thanked Fiona Bruce for her “considerable contribution” to their work over the years but acknowledged that while the words the BBC presenter had used around claims about Stanley Johnson were not her own they had “minimised the seriousness of domestic abuse”.

In a statement on Monday, the charity said: “Refuge’s position was, and remains, clear – domestic abuse is never a ‘one-off’, it is a pattern of behaviour that can manifest in a number of ways, including but not limited to physical abuse. Domestic abuse is never acceptable.

“Over the weekend we have been listening to, and heard, survivors of domestic abuse who have told us how devastating this has been for them.

“While we know the words were not Fiona’s own and were words she was legally obliged to read out, this does not lessen their impact and we cannot lose sight of that.

“These words minimised the seriousness of domestic abuse and this has been retraumatising for survivors.

“Survivors of domestic abuse are, and will always be, Refuge’s priority.

“Our focus must remain on them. Every two minutes someone turns to Refuge for help and our priority is the women and their children who need us

“We have today accepted Fiona’s offer to stand down from her role as ambassador for Refuge. We have thanked her for her considerable contribution over many years to Refuge and the wider domestic abuse agenda.”

The BBC defended Fiona Bruce in a statement following the programme airing stating: “Domestic abuse is abhorrent, and we would never wish to suggest otherwise.

“When serious allegations are made on air against people or organisations, it is the job of BBC presenters to ensure that the context of those allegations – and any right of reply from the person or organisation – is given to the audience, and this is what Fiona Bruce was doing last night.

“She was not expressing any personal opinion about the situation.”

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Fiona Bruce to stand down from her ambassador role for Refuge over claims she trivialised domestic violence on BBC Question Time