Irish Olympic champion Kellie Harrington has said she is aware of the “hurt” caused by her decision to retweet a video featuring anti-immigration comments.

In an interview on Irish radio on Monday, she was asked about a Twitter post from October linking to a clip from GB News, in which a journalist claimed European girls were being “sacrificed on the altar of mass migration”.

Harrington later deleted her retweet, but in tense interview on Monday’s Off the Ball programme, external on Newstalk she was repeatedly asked about the issue.

She refused to answer, later saying she was “caught off guard” by the question.

Presenter Shane Hannon asked Harrington to clarify her “strongly held views on immigration”.

“In your position as a role model, those comments carry weight,” he added.

She responded by accusing him of “hanging me out to dry” and requested that he ask her different questions.

Harrington’s appearance has now been viewed at least 2.5m times on Twitter.