Channel Nine presenter Danika Mason has shared details of her recovery after appearing visibly intoxicated during a live broadcast from the Winter Olympics. Mason, who issued a public apology on air the following day, described a period of distress following the incident.
"I look back on that, I knew straight away that I had screwed up and the next 24 hours I was in a spiral I was just thinking the world's worst," Mason told Triple M Rocks Footy NRL. "I was thinking this is my job gone, this is this gone."
Mason attributed her ability to overcome the situation to the support she received from the rugby league media community. She specifically mentioned calls from Andrew Johns and Karl Stefanovic as instrumental in her recovery. "The rugby league community that was calling me was insane," she recalled.
She explained that Johns, along with his wife Kate, offered encouragement. "He was an incredible support, he kept on FaceTiming me and checking in," Mason said.
Stefanovic also provided guidance. "He was great, he rang me and talked me through it and said 'what are you going to do?'" Mason recounted. "I said 'I'm going to come out and apologise, you can't take people for fools' and he was like 'perfect, we'll be here for you'."
Mason acknowledged that she had misjudged the situation, citing cold conditions, altitude, and not having eaten dinner as contributing factors. She stated, "I shouldn't have had a drink. And especially in these conditions, it's cold. We've got altitude. And not having had dinner probably didn't help as well."
She took full responsibility, adding, "But I want to take full responsibility. It's not the standard that I set for myself. So in saying that, I am genuinely sorry."
Following the on-air incident and her subsequent apology, Mason announced that she and her partner, Liam Knight, are expecting their first child, a daughter due in December. "We feel so honoured to be brought into your households every single morning, so when there's news here, it's nice to share it with you guys first before the rest of the world gets to hear about it," Mason said on the Today show.