Peter Overton has opened up about why he spat out a throat lozenge  while live on air presenting Nine’s evening news bulletin.

The gaffe occurred just minutes into Thursday night’s bulletin as the newsreader was crossing to political editor Charles Croucher.

Peter, 59, revealed on the Kyle & Jackie O Show on Friday that the soothing lozenges had been a constant on-air companion since having throat surgery, from which he returned to work in February.

‘I had vocal cord surgery earlier this year because I had a big polyp on one of my vocal cords,’ Peter explained.

‘So I always have a little packet of Throaties on the little table next to the seat.’

Peter admitted that the gaffe was partly the result of misreading the bulletin’s run sheet.

Peter Overton has opened up about the on-air gaffe that saw him spit out a throat lozenge in the middle of a live cross

‘I thought [finance editor] Chris Kohler was throwing to his package out of the cross, but I clearly misread the rundown and I had to go to Charles Croucher,’ Peter revealed.

‘The old lozenge I thought, “I’ll park it in the back tooth, it’ll be right,” and it sort of came out.’

After sympathising with Peter over the embarrassing gaffe, Jackie ‘O’ Henderson offered her take on the situation.

‘You could tell the lozenge had been sucked down to a thin wafer – it was almost gone a that point,’ she said.

Peter then revealed he was unaware that the lozenge was visible on camera.

‘You could see it, could you? I haven’t even looked back,’ the newsreader quipped.

The gaffe occurred just minutes into Thursday night’s Nine News Sydney bulletin as Peter was crossing to political editor Charles Croucher

‘I thought [finance editor] Chris Kohler was throwing to his package out of the cross, but I clearly misread the rundown and I had to go to Charles Croucher,’ Peter revealed on the Kyle & Jackie O Show on Friday

When Kyle Sandilands asked the newsreader what the higher ups thought, he said they were fine.

‘The boss just said to me, “you’re human, Peter. That’s what we love about you”,’ he said.

The Channel Nine veteran was introducing a segment by the political editor when the lozenge slipped out of his mouth.

‘And Nine’s political editor Charles, oh excuse me, Charles Croucher joins me from Canberra. Charles, good evening to you,’ Peter said.

He played off the incident without a hiccup after his initial apology and appeared to catch the lolly in his hands as he continued reading the bulletin.

Earlier this year, Peter – who celebrated 35 years with Nine network on April 5 – was forced off air to undergo emergency surgery on his vocal cords after doctors discovered a polyp.

He revealed that he noticed his voice was becoming ‘husky and raspy’ while on annual leave, which prompted a visit to the GP.

He was referred to an ear nose and throat specialist, who quickly ordered surgery to remove the polyp.

‘The old lozenge I thought, “I’ll park it in the back tooth, it’ll be right,” and it sort of came out.’ Peter is pictured with wife Jessica Rowe

Peter was recently forced off the air for more than a month after having surgery to remove dangerous polyp on his vocal cords

‘They stick a camera up your nose and then down into your vocal cord, and then on a big screen, you see your vocal cords,’ Peter told News Corp.

‘And I saw this. It was like a big blister, a lump just hanging off the cord.

He added he was terrified by the ordeal, especially because the surgery left him unable to talk for a week.

‘I must admit, it scared the living daylights out of me,’ he said.

‘So I was operated on three days later and they lasered it off. Then I was in hospital for a day, and then home, and then no talking for over a week.’

He added that being unable to talk required quite the adjustment.

‘It was interesting being mute,’ he said.

‘If I went to get the milk, I’d write an email to myself and it would say I’d have to show it to someone!’

The broadcasting veteran added he had been seeing a speech pathologist as part of his recovery.