Commonwealth Games 2018: BBC presenter falls in pool during interview

BBC sport presenter Mike Bushell, pictured during drier times. Picture: Getty Images

'Never work with children or animals', warns the old adage about careers in television. Perhaps that should be extended to cover water-based interviews, as Mike Bushell would no doubt agree.

The BBC breakfast presenter was chatting to a group of Team England swimmers including Adam Peaty, the current holder of the 50m and 100m breaststroke world records, at a Gold Coast swimming pool.

Initially sitting on the side of the pool, Bushell then gets into the water but loses his footing on a step, and takes a tumble.

Ironically, the 52-year-old had just admitted that he needed to be “very careful” to avoid getting his soundpack wet.

The inevitable happened, the English swimmers - including Peaty, Siobhan Marie O’Connor, James Guy, Ben Proud and Sarah Vasey - were reduced to tears of laughter.

Bushell did attempt to carry on but Vasey was unable to stop laughing and back in the studio, Louise Minchin and Charlie Stayt were unable to hear him because his soundpack had stopped working.

Stayt said: “Mike is carrying on talking, but we can’t hear him, because a moment ago he fell in the water, his [sound]pack went in, and he doesn’t know we can’t hear him now.

“Bye Mike. It hasn’t been dull.”

Bushell takes a tumble while interviewing Team England's swimmers. Picture: BBC Breakfast / PA

Co-presenter Minchin added: “If you were going to set that up, you would imagine that might happen, and it did - live on national television. Mike fell in the pool.”

Moments later they were able to return to Bushell who admitted: “I thought it was just a little jacuzzi or a kids’ pool. I didn’t realise there was a step there.”