This Morning’s favourite Sian Welby and Roman Kemp are hit with 100 Ofcom complaints after ridiculing small business on Capital Radio show leaving owner shocked

Capital Breakfast radio presenters Sian Welby, Roman Kemp and Chris Stark have been hit with more than 100 Ofcom complaints after ridiculing a small business on air.

Business owner Maria Antoniou, who created a chocolate bar full of chips, attacked the trio after they made fun of her company, Chocolate Moments, during their breakfast show.

Maria received strong support from listeners who accused the presenters of bullying after they said her website looked ‘like a child made it’ and joked that it could be ‘some kind of scam’.

Now broadcasting watchdog Ofcom has revealed that the January 15 breakfast show has received 107 complaints.

It will be a blow for Sian, who has been tipped as favorite to replace Holly Willoughby on This Morning after making her presenting debut alongside Dermot O’Leary at the start of this week.

Sian, 37, commented on the website about some chocolates being out of stock, saying: ‘Has it failed yet? Is it bankrupt yet? I was quite excited. It may not have been that popular.

‘Oops, I’ll tell you why, some flavors of lamb and mint… with chocolate, that’s a bit different. Look, it says everything is out of stock. Do you think it was ever in stock?’

One of the others joked: ‘The website looks like a child made it’.

Roman, 30, added: “The contact number at the bottom is a mobile number and the email is just a person’s name.”

“They’re probably running a business out of their garage,” Sian said.

The Bar Of Crisps, which retails for £4.99, comes in flavors including lamb and mint, cheese and onion, salt and vinegar and dark chocolate and chilli.

Maria shared a video of her reaction to their comments on Instagram, with viewers saying they were ‘shocked’.

One listener wrote: ‘I have sent complaints to all three presenters and @capitalofficial expressing my disgust at their treatment of your small business on live radio! How unfair and inconsiderate.”

“Maria, I am literally in tears after listening to the link you uploaded. I absolutely cannot believe anyone would disparage a company in this way, especially a national radio station. I really think you need to contact a lawyer, this is horrible and I’m so sorry you are experiencing this.

‘What is that anyway? I think I’m most shocked by @romankemp. What did they do that for? What did they think was going to happen?’

Maria released an update after receiving an apology from two of the three presenters.

She wrote: ‘Two of the three presenters have contacted me. I’ll be completely honest: the ‘apology’ I received was very flippant and not meaningful, so that’s very disappointing.

‘I really don’t like people who have privileges and don’t use them in the right way.

‘I don’t care about people who don’t care about others. I care about myself, my product, my life. I pay my bills, no one else. If I choose to use a mobile number for my business, I will.

‘You all helped me. I’ve said it before: working alone is hard. It’s lonely. Last night I had to switch off for a while, it was too much for me. But don’t ever think that I don’t appreciate you and your support. It means everything.

“You all stood behind me and I can’t fully express what that means to me. I said I would reply to you all, but right now I’m overwhelmed, emotional and a little stressed. That’s why I say a collective thank you. With every comment I read, I could feel your anger at what they had said and I could feel your support and positivity through your words.

“And here’s the thing…words. They are powerful. You don’t know what someone has been through, what they are struggling with, how they feel. A single, careless word can be the final straw.”

MailOnline has contacted Capital FM for comment.

It comes as Sian has become the bookies’ favorite to host the show on a permanent basis as the broadcaster continues to search for a replacement for Holly after she stepped down in October.

Bookmakers have set the odds for the next host, with Coral now putting the presenter’s odds at 1-2 to become Holly’s replacement.

Coral’s John Hill said this week: ‘Sian Welby has taken to The Morning’s bench like a duck to water. We now have her chance to get the gig permanently.”

ITV bosses are said to be impressed with Sian after a number of appearances on the program and have paired her with Dermot to present from Monday to Thursday.

Sources at the network say Sian is a rising star and want to give her the chance to show if she can present the daytime show.

One told MailOnline: ‘Sian has many years of presenting experience under her belt, she is clearly a star of the future.’

They continued: ‘She’s already done really well on This Morning so bosses felt it was time to give her the reins of the whole show rather than just segments.’

“Viewers love a new, fresh face on the show, so everyone involved is really excited.”