The host has described the incident as "one of the most embarrassing days of my life". Photo / Instagram
The host has described the incident as "one of the most embarrassing days of my life". Photo / Instagram
A male television presenter is under fire after groping his female co-host's breasts on air — twice — before claiming it was an "accident".
A television host who openly groped a female colleague on-air twice during a group hug has claimed the incident was "one of the most embarrassing days"of his life.
The inappropriate incident occurred during a recent episode of the Mexican daytime television program Todo un Show.
At one point during the episode, presenter Roger Gonzalez, 32, hugged his fellow presenters Cynthia Rodriguez, Claudia Lizaldi and Fernando del Solar.
But as he leaned in, he can be seen first grabbing Rodriguez's right breast before moving his hand and groping her left breast during a piece to camera.
Footage captures the woman trying to move her colleague's hand. Photo / Instagram
The young woman looks down and places her hand on Gonzalez's in what appears to be an attempt to move it away before gesturing at the camera and looking at crew members.
Rodriguez seems visibly uncomfortable throughout the exchange, and Gonzalez later kisses Lizaldi on the cheek.
Mexican media have reported Gonzalez later watched the footage with his co-workers during a different episode and apologised on air for his behaviour.
Rodriguez has also taken to social media to insist she knew her "friend … didn't mean it".
But co-host del Solar said "it did not seem like an accident".
The awkward blunder comes just months after a Mexican politician stood down after trying to force a female TV host to kiss him on air as she struggled to escape his clutches.
In February, Mexican official Jose Maria Armenta, master of ceremonies of the government of the state of Sonora, appeared live on the El Mejor Dia program when the segment took an alarming turn.
In footage of the guest appearance, Mr Armenta is seen giving male host Vicente Ruiz a fist pump without incident before kissing female host Martha Hinojos — who appears reluctant and awkward — on the cheek.
But he then turns to co-host Alejandra Leon — before forcefully grabbing her face with both hands and trying to kiss her face.
Leon struggles violently and can clearly be seen kicking her legs, squirming and trying to pull away from his clutches.
Hinojos gapes at the camera open-mouthed, while Mr Ruiz stands up and walks towards the camera, apparently in an attempt to defuse the situation.
Mr Armenta can be heard saying "she didn't want one" in the footage before asking Leon to kiss his cheek, which she does, The Sun reports.
But Leon goes on to call out the politician's worrying behaviour, telling him: "I need to say something. The devil will take you.
"My boyfriend is going to beat you up, you will see," she added.
Several months before Mr Armenta's behaviour surfaced, another female Mexican TV presenter, Maria Fernanda Mora, was also groped live on air by a fan after a soccer match.
The shaken Fox sports reporter hit the man with her microphone in the clip that made headlines around the world.
