ITV viewers fumed at channel star Lorraine Kelly when she referred to missing Nicola Bulley in the past tense.
The Scot was interviewing the mum-of-two's pal Jill Peck when she coined phrases such as "you knew her".
Ms Kelly - a veteran of nearly 40-years on the box - also told Jill "this is a woman that had so much to live for" during the clanger-filled segment.
Speaking on Tuesday morning's instalment of Lorraine, she asked: "There are lots of theories being put forward.
"You knew her very well, what's your gut feeling about all of this?"
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The 63-year-old went on to probe: "This is a woman that had… that has… so much to live for.
"Tell me about, because you know her, what is she like, we are sort of missing that as to what sort of person she was… and is."
The comments left viewers blasting Lorraine for the "wrong choice of language" about the dogwalker who vanished 11-days-ago in Lancashire.
Taking to Twitter, one user fumed: "You 'knew' her very well?????? Wrong choice of tense there Lorraine."
Another slammed: "Lorraine's saying having hope after her past tense talking..!! What hope have you given."
And a third went as far as to say: "Please stop talking about Nicola Bulley in a past tense
"Imagine how you’d feel if that chat was the other way round."
Nicola was last seen walking brown spaniel Willow along a towpath on the River Wyre, near St Michael's on Wyre, at around 9.15am on January 27.
Monday's search for the mum focused downstream on the tidal area of the river but Tuesday's scour is taking place further upstream.
The search includes and goes beyond the area where Nicola's belongings were found on a bench near Garstang Road, in St Michael's on Wyre.
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Despite no signs of the mum in the river, Lancashire Constabulary believe the mum "sadly" fell in.