Molly-Mae Hague sparked fury among National Television Awards viewers after winning the best authored documentary category. The Love Island star beat serious contenders including the late Rob Burrow's motor neurone disease documentary and Amy Dowden's breast cancer journey film.
The 26-year-old reality star's victory over "There's Only One Rob Burrow" particularly angered viewers. The Rugby League legend's final documentary was broadcast just days after his death in June 2024 at age 41, featuring last messages to the world that even his family hadn't seen.
Other nominees included Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy Dowden's "Strictly Amy: Cancer and Me", which documented her 2023 breast cancer diagnosis. Former England cricketer Freddie Flintoff's "Flintoff" also lost out, despite following his recovery from a near-fatal Top Gear crash in 2022.
Social media outrage
Viewers vented their frustration on social media, with many calling the result a betrayal of more deserving candidates. "Molly Mae winning an NTA over Rob Burrow or Amy Dowden is everything that is wrong with the world," posted one user.
Another viewer wrote: "Molly Mae winning best documentary over rob burrows MND battle shows everything that is wrong with this country." Critics particularly noted that Burrow's children were in the audience to witness the defeat.
The backlash continued with viewers questioning the public voting system. "Nothing against Molly Mae, but the other documentaries were much more deserving for sure," one person commented, while another called it "a massive slap in the face."
Gracious acceptance speech
Molly-Mae acknowledged the controversy during her acceptance speech at the O2 Arena. "Just to be nominated for this award was such an honour," she said. "I think as you guys saw, we were up against some seriously inspirational people in this category."
She specifically addressed Burrow's family directly from the stage. "To Lindsay, Rob Burrow's wife and his children, his story was far more inspirational than mine could ever be," she said. "This one's for you Rob, and to the other inspirational people in this category."
Manchester Evening News reports that Molly-Mae's winning documentary "Behind It All" is getting a second series. The audience response to her gracious speech was reportedly positive, with some calling her tribute to Burrow a "classy move."
Other NTA winners
Elsewhere at the ceremony, Strictly Come Dancing claimed the talent show prize for the tenth consecutive year. This Morning won best daytime show, with host Dermot O'Leary noting it was significant for a team "who have had to endure an awful lot of s**t" recently.
Gary Lineker broke Ant and Dec's 23-year winning streak by taking best presenter following his BBC social media controversy. However, the Geordie duo didn't leave empty-handed as I'm A Celebrity won best reality show, beating The Traitors.
Sources used: "Metro", "Manchester Evening News", "WalesOnline" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
