TV presenter Jonathan Ross has said he is "horrified" by allegations of sexual misconduct against David Walliams and the rape conviction of Russell Brand. In a statement, Ross said he was once "on friendly terms with both men", but that at the time he was "genuinely unaware of their conduct". ITV News and the Guardian on Tuesday published reports alleging that Walliams has been accused of sexual misconduct by several women.
Walliams denies all the allegations against him. Brand was sentenced to 10 years in jail for rape on Monday. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said that the allegations against Walliams were the "latest in a long line of reported abuses of power" in the media.
Ross is one of the country's best-known TV presenters, having regularly hosted celebrities on his Jonathan Ross Show, including David Walliams and Russell Brand. He said he was "as horrified by the revelations about David Walliams and the crimes of Russell Brand as the rest of the nation". He added: "My thoughts are with the many, many women who have bravely come forward." If you are affected by any of the issues in this story, help and support is available at BBC Action Line.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said on Tuesday: "These allegations are the latest in a long line of reported abuses of power in an industry where we have known for so long that the power imbalances are huge. "Russell Brand's eventual conviction was a stark reminder that we are still far too reliant on the courage of brave women who choose to come forward despite knowing they will pay a heavy price and may not be believed - and a handful of persistent journalists who risk everything to tell their stories. "Women must feel safe in their jobs, whistleblowers must be protected, and those who abuse their position must no longer be able to hide behind it." Downing Street earlier called the allegations "deeply troubling".
In the ITV documentary revealing the allegations, Jonathan Ross is pictured at an event also attended by a woman who later made accusations about the conduct of Walliams. In his statement, Ross also addressed a joke he made at a comedy awards show in 2004, in which the punchline suggested Walliams would be "going home" with a 15-year-old. Ross acknowledged the controversial quip and described it as "tasteless".
He added: "This joke was submitted to me by the Comedy Awards script writing team and I believed that the punchline was a reference to the fact he had publicly dated younger women, exaggerated for comic effect. "Had I had any reason to suspect that it might be referring to actual events, I would not only have refused to use it, but I would not have felt comfortable continuing a personal or professional relationship with him." Ross and Brand were also widely criticised for leaving lewd voicemails for Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs, the grandfather of Georgina Baillie with whom Brand was in a consensual relationship in the mid-2000s, during a BBC Radio 2 broadcast. Brand was sentenced to 10-and-a-half years' imprisonment for one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault, and the Metropolitan Police has confirmed several people have approached them about the disgraced star since his conviction.
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