A complaint about swearing on The X Factor has been resolved by the broadcasting watchdog.
Judge Louis Tomlinson ran on stage to hug his act Anthony Russell and said “I f****** love you lad”, on the last series of the ITV show.
ITV said the compliance team did not hear the One Direction star’s offensive language because of a muffled microphone.
If it had been noticed, the producers would have issued an immediate on-air apology, it said.
The show’s host, Dermot O’Leary, apologised during the next episode of The X Factor.
Ofcom said the language should not have been used before the watershed.
But it said that in light of the steps taken by the broadcaster in advance, as well as after the incident, it considered the matter resolved.
The watchdog also said a complaint that an episode of Jeremy Vine’s show, on Channel 5, in which a caller suddenly broke into offensive language when Anne Diamond was hosting, was resolved.
