By Khaleda Rahman
National Correspondent
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
A television reporter in Spain has apologized to viewers after she wildly celebrated a lottery win on air and told her colleagues: "I don't work tomorrow!"
Natalia Escudero, who works for Spanish broadcaster RTVE, was reporting from a bar near Alicante, Spain, on Sunday when the winning numbers in the county's Christmas lottery were announced, according to El Periódico de Catalunya.
The Christmas edition of the national lottery, known as El Gordo (The Fat One), has a prize pool of $2.64 billion ($2.38 billion), according to Reuters. After the number for the top prize of $4.4 million (€4 million) was announced, Escudero began screaming on camera while clutching a prop ticket bearing the winning number. "I don't come tomorrow! I don't work tomorrow!" she said, according to the newspaper.
Read More
Mega Millions Results, Numbers for 12/20/19: Did Anyone Win the $40 Million Jackpot on Friday (Last) Night?3 min read
Powerball Results For 12/21/19: Jackpot was $171 Million3 min read
Powerball Results, Numbers for 12/21/19: Did Anyone Win the $173.2 Million Jackpot on Saturday (Last) Night?3 min read
She later appeared on screen making a gesture of zipping her lips and clarified that she had actually won around $5,500 (€5,000), the BBC reported.
Escudero also took to Twitter to apologize to viewers after Spanish media reported she had been slammed for behaving unprofessionally and for appearing to mislead viewers into thinking she'd scooped the top prize.
She was seen jumping up and down screaming and having champagne sprayed over her as she celebrated her win in a clip that went viral. It has since been viewed almost three million times on RTVE's Twitter page.
Responding to the backlash on her Twitter page, Escudero said she was sorry for the confusion to any viewer who felt "cheated."
She explained that she regretted her emotional outburst, but that the past few months had been "difficult" for her and it was the first time in a while that she had been blessed with good fortune.
She also maintained that she had not "lied" or "manipulated" viewers and added that she was technically not working the next day because she was going on vacation.
Escudero added that said she continued to hold her head high and have a "clear conscience" over her "rigorous and proven work" during her 25-year career as a journalist. "It is sad that Natalia Escudero is today the manipulative and liar journalist of RTVE," she wrote.
"I apologize for this confusion today... and I maintain that tomorrow I will not work because I am going to celebrate... and I am going on vacation."
...
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines