John Hunt will commentate on the Grand National just weeks after 26-year-old Kyle Clifford was jailed for murdering daughters Louise Hunt, 25 and Hannah Hunt, 28, and his wife Carol Hunt, 61
BBC 5 Live’s John Hunt will commentate on the Grand National tomorrow for the first time since three members of his family were brutally murdered.
Kyle Clifford, 26, murdered broadcaster Mr Hunt’s daughters, Louise Hunt, 25 and Hannah Hunt, 28, and his wife Carol Hunt, 61, on July 9 last year. His sickening four-hour attack followed the breakdown of his 18-month relationship with Louise two weeks earlier. He gained access to their family home after lying to Carol and claiming he was returning Louise’s belongings, before stabbing her to death. Clifford was jailed for life at Cambridge Crown Court last month, and told he would never be released from prison.
In a victim statement read to the court, Mr Hunt told Clifford he had killed “three beautiful Mockingbirds”. He went on to say: “The impact of what you have done will be taken to my grave but on the way there, I want you to know that I stand strong before you today.
“As you are consigned to a fate far greater than death, I can draw on the love and strength that I still feel from the girls in every moment of every day.
“I am lucky. I have the most wonderful daughter; Amy who gives me such focus and purpose. I have Gareth and Alex. I have my extended family, reaching far beyond my mum, brothers and sister, aunts and uncles and cousins. I have many friends who watch out for me on an hourly basis. Carol’s friends are mine and I now have a renewed relationship with Hannah’s and Louise’s best friends. I will always be there for them and they will be there for me too.”
John returned to commentate on the Cheltenham Festival just days after the statement last month, and will be at Aintree for the Grand National on Saturday. Broadcaster Gina Bryce will meanwhile make Aintree history tomorrow as the first woman in modern times to commentate live from the racecourse on the Randox Grand National.
Bryce, who will take the third leg of the commentary for BBC Radio 5 Live before handing over to John Hunt for the climax of the world’s greatest steeplechase, said she is “very excited” at the prospect – though she admitted she is “nervous to do it well.”
She said: “Never in a million years did I think I’d get the opportunity to do something like this. It’s a first for me and very exciting, although slightly terrifying as you can imagine. I believe I’m the first female to do it, so that’s a privilege, and I’m looking forward to it of course, but I’m just nervous to do it well.”
“When I was first asked it blindsided me a bit to be honest, but I had a think about it and I asked myself ‘when will I ever get another opportunity to be out on the gantry commentating on a race like the National?’ It’s as good an opportunity as you’ll get, as someone else is shaping the race before handing it over to me, and I’m surrounded by great colleagues if something goes wrong!
“I couldn’t be in better hands, as I’ll take over from Darren Owen and Gary O’Brien before passing it on to John Hunt. It’s not unprecedented either, in that leading broadcasters on 5 Live such as Cornelius Lysaght have done the same leg before.”
