Channel Nine star Peter Overton left red-faced after suffering awkward gaffe live on air

Channel Nine newsreader Peter Overton was left red-faced on Tuesday, after he made an awkward slip of the tongue live on-air.

The Nine News Sydney presenter, 58, was reporting on the tragic shooting on Monday in Austria, in which a hunter killed two people, including a local mayor.

Overton looked horrified when in the middle of presenting to camera, he accidentally said 'an Australian mayor', instead of an Austrian one.

'An Australian mayor is one of two people shot dead in the country's north,' Overton said in his report.

However, moments later Overton looked embarrassed as he realised he had inadvertently said the wrong county.

'Did I say Australian, it should have been Austrian! If I confused you, I do apologise,' he said.

Viewers quickly took to social media to praise the veteran presenter for quickly recovering after the blunder.

'Good recovery. Dude's always been professional,' one person wrote and a second added: 'We all have our bad days.' 

Overton has been presenting for Channel Nine since January 2009 and has developed a reputation for being a true gentleman. 

In April 2023, a leaked internal memo from Channel Nine exposed just how friendly a guy the Nine News presenter really is. 

In a post shared to Instagram Stories, one of Peter's scripts was revealed, along with edits he made. 

Peter gave the Today show and its hosts a shout-out at the end of his Sydney news bulletin, which was his addition and not part of his original script. 

'Good morning Charles and Sarah, Brooke, Alex and Tim. Have a glorious show and week. Peter,' the addition read.

In January, Peter and his TV presenter wife Jessica Rowe celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary. 

In a post shared to Instagram, Jessica beamed as she paid tribute to her husband alongside a glorious photo of the pair.

'What a difference 19 years makes! Home before we turn into pumpkins,' the beloved TV star began.