'You're getting a bit of Dr Dre:' Therese Coffey's alarm halts live interview

Therese Coffey's first live interview as the UK's new deputy PM and health secretary did not go as planned.

The interview was interrupted by the famous American rapper and producer, Dr Dre. No, he was not physically present to disturb the deputy PM, but it was the hit song "Still D.R.E" that started blaring during Coffey's interview on LBC Radio.

The 50-year-old was being interviewed on Wednesday morning when her phone alarm went off and started playing the song. Coffey was so embarrassed that she apologised profusely to the listeners and the show's host, Nick Ferrari.

"I just realised that the alarm is going off on my phone – you're getting a bit of Dr. Dre," she laughed. "It's just an 8 am alarm, sorry." She fiddled for quite a few minutes with her phone before she was able to shut the thing off.

Ferrari responded by saying: "That's fantastic – Dr. Coffey with Dr. Dre as the health secretary. It just gets better and better."

After the minor hiccup, Ferrari asked Coffey several policy-related questions. The latter did not shy away from expressing her point of view on several subjects, including abortion laws. The new health secretary, a practising Catholic, said that she will "not seek to undo" abortion laws.

Coffey was appointed health secretary by Prime Minister Liz Truss earlier this week. She had served as the minister for work and pensions under the Boris Johnson government.

She came under criticism soon after her appointment with people asking questions about her physical health and habits.

When the host asked her what she felt about the same, she said: "I appreciate I may not be a role model...I'm sure the chief medical officer and others will continue to be role models in that regard, and I will do my best as well."

She further stated that comments made by social media users about her habits do not "worry her," wrote The Independent.