On This Morning, Dermot O’Leary addressed the BBC presenter incident, warning that it will wreck a person’s life.
A broadcaster’s presenter, who has not been publicly identified, has been accused of paying a minor more than £35,000 for pornographic images dating back to when the victim was 17 years old.
The BBC has suspended the employee, saying it became ‘informed of a complaint’ in May before further claims ‘of a different character’ were given to them on Thursday, July 6.
The channel is looking into the accusations, and authorities are looking into whether any crime was committed after BBC officials talked with investigators on Monday morning.
The teenager at the focus of the incident has subsequently stated that nothing improper or illegal occurred with the anonymous broadcaster, with their lawyer dismissing the allegations, which started with their mother, as ‘rubbish.’
The controversy was the main topic of Tuesday’s This Morning, which Dermot, 50, and his co-host Alison Hammond, 48, explored.
‘There’s obviously so much here that’s evolving,’ Dermot explained. ‘There’s so much we don’t know.
Referencing the statement from the young person’s lawyer, Dermot continued: ‘It felt like event took a bit of a pace yesterday really, didn’t it? With different sides saying different things.’
The former X Factor presenter also warned on the ITV morning programme that, due to the competing accounts, ‘that’s surely why, with this story, you have to tread so very carefully.’
‘Someone’s life will be ruined off the back of this,’ he added.
According to The Sun, the young person’s mother and stepfather stuck by their original charges and questioned how their youngster could afford the lawyer.
A spokesperson for the newspaper also said: ‘We have reported a story about two very concerned parents who made a complaint to the BBC about the behaviour of a presenter and the welfare of their child. Their complaint was not acted upon by the BBC.
‘We have seen evidence that supports their concerns. It’s now for the BBC to properly investigate.’
The mother earlier told The Sun she saw a picture of the presenter on her child’s phone ‘sitting on a sofa in his house in his underwear.’
She said she was told it was ‘a picture from some kind of video call’ and looked as though he was ‘getting ready for my child to perform for him.’
The family apparently protested to the BBC on May 19 but were irritated when the celebrity stayed on broadcast.
Following the claims, the broadcaster is said to have made ‘panicked’ calls to the young person, asking, ‘What have you done?’ and imploring them to urge their mother to halt the probe.
Many BBC celebrities, including Rylan Clark, Jeremy Vine, and Gary Lineker, have come out to say they are not the suspended presenter.
The BBC’s director-general, Tim Davie, is expected to meet with the media on today following the publishing of the corporation’s annual report, but the scandal will dominate the discussion.
This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV.
