Nadhim Zahawi says it was ‘heart breaking’ to see Will Smith in tears after hitting Chris Rock at the Oscars

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A UK minister has praised Will Smith for apologising after hitting presenter Chris Rock at the Oscars over a joke about his wife.

Nadhim Zahawi, the education secretary, said his “heart was broken” when he saw the “tearful apology”.

“It is heart-breaking when you lose control of your emotions in that way, but I think it is important not to allow yourself to cross that line, and he apologised immediately, which is good to see,” he told BBC Breakfast on Monday.

Smith appeared to take offence at a joke comedian Rock made about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved haircut. His wife has spoken about her struggles with alopecia and said it is what prompted her to shave her head.

The actor went on stage and hit the presenter, sparking confusion among the audience. He shouted: “Keep my wife’s name out your f***ing mouth.”

Smith later used his Best Actor acceptance speech to apologise to the Academy and “fellow nominees” for the incident - but not to Rock.

The UK’s education secretary was asked on Monday what he would say to schoolchildren who had witnessed the strike at the star-studded ceremony.

“I would say don’t do it. And you could see Will Smith - and my heart was broken when I saw him, that tearful apology. He apologised immediately,” Mr Zahawi said.

“It was hard for him because it was someone who had made a joke about his wife and her illness.”

He added: “That is not easy. But he regretted it and he apologised immediately.”

The education secretary also told LBC on Monday: “I think we should also remember - and I’m the education secretary - that actually sometimes even a joke can be below the belt.

“When a joke is about somebody’s wife and her illness - she has alopecia - it is wrong. I think Chris Rock was mistaken to do that to Mrs Smith.”

Smith went on to win his first Oscar for his portrayal of Richard Williams, the father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams, in King Richard.

In a tearful speech, he said: “I know, to do what we go, you’ve got to be able to take abuse, you’ve got to be able to have people talk crazy about you. In this business you’ve got to be able to have people disrespecting you. And you’ve got to smile and you’ve got to pretend that’s OK.”

He added: “I want to be a vessel for love. I want to say thank you to Venus, and Serena, and the entire Williams family for entrusting me with your story. That’s what I want to do. I want to be an ambassador of that kind of love and care and concern.”

The actor added: “I want to apologise to the Academy, to all my fellow nominees.”