E! apologises to Michael J Fox for Parkinson's 'fun fact'

This 'fun fact' flashed up on screen during E!'s Golden Globes coverage.

E! Entertainment has been forced to say sorry to actor Michael J Fox after it ran a "fun fact" about his Parkinson's diagnosis during its Golden Globes coverage.

The network was attempting to liven up the often dreary live footage of celebrities walking down a carpet that forms its pre-ceremony coverage by peppering it with fun facts about actors in attendance.

A cursory look at Wikipedia would have unearthed such fun Fox factoids as him adopting the initial in his name as an homage to Bonnie and Clyde actor Michael J Pollard, but E! instead went with the snappy but somewhat insensitive: "Michael J Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1991".

E! expressed regret over the remark, which aired during its online live stream but not on TV, saying in a statement: "We understand the serious nature of the disease and sincerely apologise."

Fox, who runs a foundation for Parkinson's disease research, was nominated at the awards for best actor in a comedy for his new TV series The Michael J Fox Show.

Oddly it was not E!'s only disease-based fun fact of the night, with the network later apparently informing viewers: "Robert Redford was stricken with polio as a child."

Elsewhere at the Los Angeles ceremony, British director Steve McQueen's searing slavery epic 12 Years A Slave won the coveted best film award, though David O Russell's Abscam drama American Hustle was the most decorated film of the night, winning three awards.

- Independent