Jockey Liam Treadwell, 23, was shocked when BBC racing pundit Clare Balding asked him to bare his gappy teeth in an interview moments after he had won the famous steeplechase.

She told him to “give us a big grin to the camera” and told him he could now afford to “get them done”. Her comments prompted more than 2,000 people to complain to the BBC and media watchdog Ofcom.

Treadwell has since been offered the chance to fix his teeth for free by a leading UK dentist. He said: “I’m not really scared of going to the dentist, in fact I’m looking forward to it.