Alastair Stewart keeps his cool as toddler runs amok during ITV News

NEWS anchor Alastair Stewart has been praised for keeping his cool as a toddler hilariously took over his live news broadcast.

Stewart was conducting a segment about milk allergies on the ITV Lunchtime News with a mother and her young son and daughter, when the little girl got up and ran around the desk.

She then climbed up on the desk in front of Stewart, often creeping into his shot, for the remainder of the piece.

The joys of live TV! When children take over your desk when you're halfway through an interview @alstewitn pic.twitter.com/MyKEVsmtuw

— ITV News (@itvnews) August 23, 2017

As the toddler got up to run around, Stewart said that she “will do whatever she chooses to do for the next couple of minutes”, before continuing with the interview.

Having stifled laughter while continuing the broadcast, the veteran newscaster joked at the end of the segment: “Mary Nightingale, I think, will have a more peaceful time at 6.30.

“From all of us, a very good afternoon to you.”

Viewers were highly amused to see the unlikely takeover of the lunchtime news broadcast, with many taking to Twitter to laugh at the incident.

“Tears of laughter rolling down my cheeks! Feel ITV 1 +1 coming on!!” one viewer wrote.

Another said: “@alstewitn @itvnews dealt with that lunchtime news V well, if anyone needs their day cheering up get on @itvhub now.

Tears of laughter rolling down my cheeks! Feel ITV 1 +1 coming on!!

— Julia SlingsbyBreach (@SlingsbyBreachJ) August 23, 2017

Many hailed Stewart, with one writing: “Child casually clambering all over the news desk whilst Alistair Stewart gets on with it #itvnews #pro #neverworkwithchildrenoranimals.”

“What a professional Alistair Stewart on @itvnews is… carrying on presenting with a toddler climbing all over his desk #hilarious #itvnews,” another viewer remarked

Stewart’s contemporaries and colleagues were among those talking about the unexpected TV moment.