Viewers of BBC Breakfast were left slightly baffled when Victoria Fritz introduced herself with a different name. The presenter was back at the helm of the BBC One news programme on Wednesday (October 26) alongside Jon Kay.
Victoria, who regularly presents news bulletins for the broadcaster, has been stepping in for the show's main host Sally Nugent this week and up until today's show, had spent much of her presenting solo as Jon headed to Downing Street to bring the latest on Rishi Sunak becoming the new Prime Minister.
And BBC viewers were impressed with Victoria taking over the show, with many calling for her to be made a permanent fixture. But as she returned to the famous red sofa on Wednesday, some fans of the news show were confused.
Seconds into the programme, viewers picked up on the fact Victoria, 38, introduced herself as Victoria Valentine as opposed to Fritz, and several took to social media to question why she was using a different name.
@MarkOborne tweeted: "@VValentineNews Morning Victoria, how come the name has changed? Was confused when you just introduced yourself on the red couch." @WorfDelm2016 asked: "Anyone surprised by Victoria Fritz name change? What's that about? #bbcbreakfast." @hamiltonsusan19 replied: "I noticed that, how strange?"
Knowing viewers would spot the change from Fritz to Valentine, Victoria took to Twitter to explain, sharing a link to a blog post in which she shared the partly heartbreaking reason behind the sudden move.
"Hello. You may notice a little change today," she typed on the social media platform. "If you are wondering why, here are a few words:," before linking to a blog post. In the post, Victoria explains that she has returned to her mother's maiden name following the breakdown of her marriage to Dan Fritz, whom she married in 2011.
"The reasons for the breakdown of my marriage are private," she wrote. "I have two wonderful young children to consider. Protecting their wellbeing and right to a private life will always be my priorities. Yet, however private I wish to keep my private life, there is an aspect of it that will always remain as much in public hands as it is in my own. And that is my name.
"Here’s the rub. It no longer fits. It doesn’t fit the person that has emerged nor does it truthfully describe the future ahead of me. In the re-casting and the re-crafting, I’ve discovered my name matters. And so I am changing it."
But the mum-of-two revealed that she "couldn't go back" to her own maiden name as it felt "emotionally regressive, stunting, depressing and quite frankly, anti-feminist." Instead, she shared how she's taken her "Dubliner mother's name" which she will use going forward.
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