CHANNEL 9 have refused to apologise to the parents of a baby girl who was branded "ugly" by panellists on The Footy Show and likened to rugby league great Peter Sterling.
Michael and Melanie Richmond, from Avalon on Sydney's northern beaches, said they were "still in shock and dumbfounded" after a Facebook image of their firstborn daughter Bella was broadcast on Thursday's episode of The Footy Show without their permission.
Mr Richmond said the image of his daughter, taken last year, was posted on his wife's Facebook account.
"I understand how Facebook works and that when you share phoThe they become public and there's nothing you can do," he said.
"The fact is that somewhere, somehow, a producer has gotten a photo of my daughter and made the decision to put it on television. I know it's supposed to be tongue in cheek but she's just a baby. It's not cool."
A fan of the show in the past, Mr Richmond said he and his wife would be switching off from now on.
A Channel 9 spokeswoman said the network would not be making any comment or apologising to the family when approached again today.
The picture of Bella was taken on Mother's Day last year when she was six months old and posted on Mrs Richmond's Facebook account.
One of the panellists on the Footy Show allegedly stated that Bella was an "ugly" baby and compared her to former league great and Nine commentator Peter Sterling.
The Footy Show
This screen shot from The Footy Show was inally sent to the Richmonds by Michael's sister after having seen it on the show. Picture: Attila Szilvasi Source: The Sunday Telegraph
"I don't watch the show. My sister-in-law phoned us and said 'you know your daughter's on the TV' and she paused it and took a photo and sent it to us," Mrs Richmond said.
When the couple contacted The Footy Show they were told the image had been provided to them by "a friend from Newport".
"However, how they got it doesn't matter, we weren't asked," Mr Richmond said.
Since the segment, a photo of joy has turned to one of sadness for the couple.
"My husband took it on my first Mother's Day last year on Palm Beach," Mrs Richmond said. "I put the photo on Facebook that day so proud of my first Mother's Day.
"Somebody has taken a copy off our Facebook page and cropped Bella because you can see my hair in the background.
"You can't take phoThe of kids playing sport or at childcare so how does my baby end up on TV without me knowing, and in a demeaning manner too?"
Richmond
The original photo that was used on the show. Picture: Attila Szilvasi Source: The Sunday Telegraph
Mr Richmond said Footy Show host Michael Slater lived just 20 houses from them, and he wondered how he would like it if his baby ended up "splashed across thousands of TV screens without his consent".
While the couple said lawyers had come to them seeking to represent them against the show, they "only want an explanation and an apology".
"My daughter is a bundle of joy. I would love an apology from the person who did it, from the Footy Show and from Channel 9," Mrs Richmond said.
Mrs Richmond said she hoped their experience was a warning to others to be careful about posting on Facebook.The Footy Show did not return calls seeking comment.
