Matt Doran issues a grovelling on-air apology to Adele after controversial interview

Weekend Sunrise co-host Matt Doran has issued an on-air apology to Adele after admitting he didn’t listen to the singer’s new album before flying to London for an exclusive interview.

During the sit-down with Adele, Matt reportedly didn’t ask any questions about her new album, 30, and later admitted he missed an email from Sony that contained a copy of the record.

Speaking live on Weekend Sunrise on Sunday, Matt addressed the now-infamous blunder, and said he’s had received a “torrent of abuse and mockery from around the world”.

“If I’m being honest with you, the bulk of this savaging I deserve and I totally own,” he said. “I flew to London to interview Adele, an unspeakable privilege and what was to be one of the highlights of my career.

“I made the terrible mistake of assuming we weren’t to be given a preview a copy of this album, because our interview was airing before it was released and Adele’s album was the industry’s most-prized secret.”

The 37-year-old journalist said the email containing a link to the album was the “most important email I’ve ever missed in my life”.

“The day after, after we landed in London an email came through from Sony. It didn’t mention Adele, but it did contain a link to her album,” he said.

“The genuine, dead-set, hand on heart truth is that I missed it. By an absurdly long margin, the most important email I’ve ever missed in my life.”

Matt went on to deny claims that a fed-up Adele walked out of their interview, and revealed they had actually ran over time.

“At least half of the interview focused squarely on the new music,” he said.

“Throughout the 29 minutes, Adele was profound, she was very funny, she was raw and then she was honest. Honest enough to describe her depression as ‘end-of-the-world stuff”.

He went on to apologise directly to the singer, saying: “To Adele, I say, I’d never have knowingly disrespected you by deliberately not listening to your work. I am so sorry.

“I also apologise to Adele’s Australian fans, and to you, our viewers, who through my error have been denied this interview and the insight into her character.”

Following the disastrous sit-down, which cost Channel Seven one million dollars, Sony blocked the network from using the interview footage.

Channel Seven was then forced to hastily piece together footage of artists covering Adele for the One Night Only special.

Matt’s candid on-air apology comes after he told The Daily Telegraph that the scandal prompted media outlets from across the globe to contact him.

“I’ve had inquiries from Good Morning Britain, CNN, Dubai and Japan,” he said on Friday.

He also denied reports that he was ill-prepared, and told the publication he had spent hours getting ready for the interview.

“I spent the next five hours at my desk preparing for the interview. And we got to the interview three hours early the next day,” he said.