The parents of the person at the centre of the BBC presenter scandal say they spoke out to protect their child.
The child’s mother told The Sun that they were paid £35,000 for explicit images, but her child is now claiming nothing “unlawful” happened.
Their statement comes after their child said nothing “inappropriate or unlawful” happened between them and the presenter. In a legal letter to the BBC, the 20-year-old said the claims are not actually true.
The child’s lawyer told the BBC: “For the avoidance of doubt, nothing inappropriate or unlawful has taken place between our client and the BBC personality and the allegations reported in the Sun newspaper are rubbish.”
However, their parents are standing by their claims and said that their child needs help.
Their stepfather and mother told The Sun: “It is sad but we stand by our account and we hope they get the help they need. We did this to help – and the presenter has got into their head. How did they afford a lawyer?”
The couple said they are “so sad” over the scandal and feel “disappointed” by their child’s statement.
The BBC presenter was accused of paying the alleged victim, who was 17 at the time, £35,000 for explicit photos.
Their mother contacted the BBC in May, but the presenter was not taken off-air until seven weeks later.
Their name has not yet been released, but multiple BBC presenters have been forced to deny allegations. They include Rylan Clark, Gary Lineker, and Jeremy Vine.
