BBC Breakfast presenter Victoria Fritz left some viewers confused when she introduced herself on the show using a different name.
The 38-year-old instead referred to herself as Victoria Valentine as she hosted the BBC show alongside Jon Kay, leading to several fans taking to social media to ask the presenter about the name change. “Is it Victoria Fritz or Valentine?” one person questioned on Twitter .
Another fan asked: “Anyone surprised by Victoria Fritz name change? What's that about?”, while a second viewer replied: “I noticed that, how strange?” After receiving several queries, the presenter wrote a lengthy blog post explaining the reason behind the change, The Mirror reports .
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One viewer addressed Victoria via Twitter: “How come the name has changed? Was confused when you just introduced yourself on the red couch.” But another fan believed that they had worked out the reason behind the switch.
“Hi Victoria, I noticed on BBC Breakfast that you called yourself Victoria Valentine, and your Twitter says the same,” they noted. “Have you sadly got divorced and decided to use your maiden name? Sending you much love.”
Victoria confirmed the news in her blog post, sharing it with her Twitter followers on Wednesday as she wrote: “Hello. You may notice a little change today. If you are wondering why, here are a few words.”
In the post entitled ‘What’s in a name?’, the presenter confirmed that her marriage to Dan Fritz, with whom she tied the knot in 2011, had ended. Victoria wrote: “The reasons for the breakdown of my marriage are private,” as she added that she had the wellbeing of her two young children to consider.
“Yet, however private I wish to keep my private life, there is an aspect of it that will always remain as much in public hands as it is in my own. And that is my name,” she said.
“It no longer fits. It doesn’t fit the person that has emerged nor does it truthfully describe the future ahead of me,” Victoria went on. “In the re-casting and the re-crafting, I’ve discovered my name matters. And so I am changing it.”
The presenter explained that she is not reverting to her maiden name, but instead taking her mother’s maiden name in a nod to her Irish ancestry. “I’m taking it in tribute to the Irish strength and solidarity that has scaffolded me as I quietly rebuilt,” she wrote.
Both fans and colleagues flocked to support Victoria on social media following the announcement, with BBC Breakfast business presenter Nina Warhurst writing: “Gorgeous name! Congrats on the new chapter.”
Fellow BBC presenter Ben Boulos added in a sweet message: “Welcome to the world, Victoria Valentine. It’s a really beautiful name and you wear it well.”
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