Laura Woods: what did ITV presenter say about Des Lynam’s comments of her ‘over familiarity’ with Ian Wright?

ITV World Cup presenter Laura Woods has responded to criticism from former football host Des Lynam.

Veteran broadcaster Lynam published an opinion piece in the Telegraph which criticised the coverage of social issues and politics during the tournament so far. The 80-year-old also aired his thoughts on TV host Laura Woods and claimed her ‘over familiarity’ with Ian Wright ‘made him wince’.

Lynam explained: “She called Ian Wright, ‘Wrighty’ which sounds comfortable coming from the likes of Gary Lineker but it made me slightly wince. I may be wrong and perhaps they are close friends but the over-familiarity made me a touch uncomfortable. The other pundits were Gary Neville and the former Dutch international Nigel de Jong. Laura refrained from calling them Gaz or Nige.”

Lynam was one of the most recognisable faces in sports broadcasting during the 1990s and he is the former host of BBC programmes such as Match of the Day, Sports Night and Grandstand. Lynam later moved to ITV and from 1999 to 2004 he hosted the channel’s Premier League highlight show whilst also anchoring ITV’s coverage of the Champions League. Lynam retired from sports broadcasting in 2004 after the final of Euro 2004.

Lynam’s comments have caused a stir on social media and a number of people have criticised the former broadcaster’s comments. But how has Woods responded to Lynam’s criticism?

What has Laura Woods said following Des Lynam’s comments?

Laura Woods has hit back at the criticism she received from Des Lynam and claimed that her role as presenter is much less significant in comparison to the human rights issues and controversies surrounding the tournament in Qatar. Woods responded to the article on Twitter and said: “Jeez. Of all the things covered this is what made Des wince?”

A number of Twitter users have been critical of Lynam’s comments and described him as out of touch. One user commented: “Dinosaur Des” while another person criticised Lynam for his lack of research and tweeted: “The fact Laura Woods and Ian Wight work together a lot on ITV women’s coverage probably suggests that they are good friends. Perhaps some research for Mr Lynam before doing a piece really not fit for The Telegraph! Pathetic.”

Lynam was also accused of sexism when making the comment that it would sound more comfortable if Gary Lineker called Ian Wright by his nickname, to which Woods replied: “Found it v weird”.

Who is Laura Woods?

Laura Woods is one of the leading ITV hosts for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

In recent years Woods has established herself as one of the rising stars in the world of sports broadcasting and she is best known by most football fans for her role as a pitch side reporter on Sky Sports from 2018 until 2022.

Woods has worked in a variety of roles throughout her career for a number of sporting publications, she recently joined Dazn this year and hosts the channels coverage of boxing whilst also anchoring the coverage of the women’s Champions League.

Woods is a fan of Arsenal football club and is a regular presenter on TalkSport’s breakfast show from Monday to Wednesday each week.