TalkSPORT radio presenter Alan Brazil has laughed off suggestions that he missed his breakfast show on Friday because he went AWOL on an all day drinks bender at the Cheltenham Festival.
Brazil told MailOnline various reasons for his absence after fans filled social media with drink-related theories for his no-show.
The excuses he gave included him being too tired after a long week, having a bad knee, having a bad chest, and having caught a bug from meeting so many people which wore him down.
In mitigation, he added that he had already done an extra shift this week anyway.
The massively popular presenter seemed very keen to dismiss rumours of him having taken the day off with a hangover after drinking too much at the festival, dubbed St Patrick’s Thursday by organisers.
Alan Brazil was pictured at Cheltenham Festival on Friday after the talkSPORT presenter allegedly ‘went AWOL’
In fact he denied drink being the cause of his absence no fewer than five times.
But he then conceded: ‘I just had a few pints of Guinness yesterday with some great company. I’m fine’.
He added it ‘wasn’t bad publicity’ for the show and that he didn’t feel it necessary to apologise to TalkSPORT bosses.
He also appeared to hint that his wife first found out about his absence from the breakfast show when she tuned in this morning and he wasn’t on it.
In a long-winded explanation, Brazil said: ‘There was no massive drinks bender. I was just tired after coming down here on Sunday.
‘It’s been a long week. Also my knee is playing up after a lot of walking about. There’s a lot of walking about needs done here with so many people to meet.’
He went on ‘I have also got a poor chest and it’s just now coming out and I feel just ‘argh’.
‘It’s not Covid or anything. I just meet so many people in this job – especially here at Cheltenham. So I just got a bug that’s all and it just wears you down for this which is a long week.
Brazil surprised talkSPORT listeners by failing to turn up for his talkSPORT breakfast show – but he was spotted in a bar at Cheltenham yesterday!
‘So the bottom line is that I am fine – I’m really good. Tales that I was drinking too much yesterday are just a load of nonsense, a load of nonsense, a load of nonsense. It’s got nothing to do with booze. I just had a few pints of Guinness yesterday with some great company. I’m fine, apart from this limp.
‘After this I’m going home to Suffolk then I’m going out to the French Alps on Sunday for a week.’
He added: ‘All this drinking too much is a load of nonsense. I mean that, it’s nonsense. I’ve just been normal.
‘I heard the show this morning’ he started off saying, then he corrected himself and said: ‘My wife was listening and she told me all about it.’
‘They were fine on the show this morning. Shebahn (Aherne) is good. She got her big chance (taking over) so that was good. So respect. I love all that.
‘It’s not bad publicity. I missed a day and it is my fault. I don’t have to say sorry to the bosses. I’m not saying I’m too big for that (saying sorry). I’m not too big to say sorry to the bosses.
‘I worked Monday and Tuesday of this week. And I don’t usually do that. So I have already put an extra shift in. So I’m fine.’
Earlier in the day it was reported that Brazil amused talkSPORT listeners by not turning up for his Cheltenham Festical build-up this morning – a day after being spotted in a bar at Prestbury Park.
Trainer Dylan Cunha shared a photo with Brazil, right and Parlour, centre left, in the afternoon
Fans speculated on social media that Brazil’s absence had been a planned PR stunt
Brazil was supposedly meant to lead listeners through all the talk ahead of the final day of action of the festival.
But Chris Evans was forced to step in and initially fill the silence after Brazil was nowhere to be seen, with Shebahn Aherne later control of the airwaves.
Ray Parlour and Dean Saunders were also on hand with Aherne to cover for the truant chatterbox. They joked that he was still in bed.
Jamie O’Hara, the former Tottenham player who works on talkSPORT’s Sports Bar show, quipped that it was a ‘shambles from the big man’.
‘Waking up to a Alan Brazil no show is exactly the start of the day I needed, I’ll see if I can find him at Cheltenham later on today, shambles from the big man,’ he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Parlour claimed Brazil texted him at 4.30am saying he needed a lie-in.
Evans had been preparing to take the mic for his regular breakfast show on Virgin Radio but was snatched up by talkSPORT bosses to fill in at the start of the show.
Brazil usually presents his breakfast show from 6am but was nowhere to be seen on Friday morning
He said: ‘Well has he made it? Ermm, no is the answer, not thus far at least.
‘I’m really sorry about this talkSPORT massive but it’s Chris Evans here from Virgin Radio.
‘So if you have seen Alan Brazil in the last 24 hours, where have you seen him, where was the sighting, what time was it as well?
‘If you don’t know what you’re looking for, Alan Brazil is robust by nature and robust by character.
‘Also missing in action this morning, we’ve got Ray ‘Party’ Parlour, he’s nowhere to be seen, we haven’t seen Dean ‘Deano’ Saunders for a while, Ally ‘Goldenballs’ McCoist, no, he’s nowhere to be seen either.
‘So if you see any of these characters, we need to know where they are because they need to be back here on the show.’
While he has been undertaking his broadcasting duties this week, Brazil has also been enjoying the revelry at Cheltenham.
Raceday TV presenter Emma Jones found him at Cheltenham on Thursday after a two-day search – and where else would he have been besides the Guinness Village?
‘We’ve found him. I’ve been looking for you,’ she said.
‘Really? It’s my lucky day!’
Jones laughed and continued: ‘This is my first time at Cheltenham, I asked everyone what I needed to do and they said find Alan Brazil.
Sports Bar presenter Jamie O’Hara joked that it was a ‘shambles from the big man’ and vowed to hunt him down at Cheltenham
‘It has been my mission for two days. Mission accomplished!’
Perhaps his absence from the show this morning will prompt yet another search.
One user on X joked: ‘Death, taxes and Alan Brazil being a no show on talkSPORT Gold Cup day.’
Another user posted a picture with Brazil seemingly at Cheltenham, although it is not clear from when.