Richard Bacon has slammed Jeremy Vine for urging the BBC broadcaster at the centre of a crisis to divulge his true name.
The suspended host has been accused of paying £35,000 for sexual photographs obtained from a minor, while other young people have claimed he sent ‘threatening’ texts and violated lockdown regulations in order to meet them.
As curiosity grew over the identity of the BBC celebrity, several presenters, including Jeremy, Nicky Campbell, and Rylan Clark, came out to deny it was them.
Jeremy, 52, has also demanded that the accused broadcaster come out publicly and explain why the claims ‘would result in even more hatred being flung at completely innocent colleagues of his’ and undermine the BBC’s image.
Former Blue Peter broadcaster Richard, 47, disagreed with Jeremy, calling the matter “complicated” and expressing worry for the presenter and his family’s well-being.
On Twitter, he wrote: ‘Stop it. You’re more emotionally intelligent than this. We don’t know the complexities of what his family are going through. Or what dark thoughts are running through his head. Irrespective of what he’s done wrong. You can walk off people wrongly guessing it’s you for 5 minutes.’
Richard isn’t the only broadcaster to call Jeremy’s post “odd,” with Susanna Reid of Good Morning Britain calling it “weird.”
‘Now we have a very high-profile presenter, Jeremy Vine, putting pressure on the unnamed presenter to come forward, which I think is a strange move for another presenter,’ she said on the ITV show.
Susanna continued: ‘But it reflects the fact that there are other people who feel they are unwittingly caught up in this.’
Stop it. You’re more emotionally intelligent than this. We don’t know the complexities of what his family are going through. Or what dark thoughts are running through his head. Irrespective of what he’s done wrong. You can walk off people wrongly guessing it’s you for 5 minutes. https://t.co/b8xNoz2btw
— richard bacon (@richardpbacon) July 11, 2023
I’m starting to think the BBC Presenter involved in the scandal should now come forward publicly. These new allegations will result in yet more vitriol being thrown at perfectly innocent colleagues of his. And the BBC, which I’m sure he loves, is on its knees with this.
But it…— Jeremy Vine (@theJeremyVine) July 11, 2023
On Wednesday’s broadcast of his Channel 5 show, Jeremy addressed his choice to compose the tweet, stating he ‘thought very carefully’ before clicking publish.
‘I know the individual. I am concerned about his state of mind. I haven’t spoken to them, but I have heard he wants to play it long. He is angry. He wants to remain anonymous.’
‘It’s his decision, but he needs to come forward,’ he shared.
The Met Police suspended the BBC’s investigation into the claims while officers’scope future work.’
A spokesperson for the force said it continues to make an ‘assessment to establish whether there is evidence of a criminal offence being committed’ and ‘there remains no police investigation at this time.’
Source My Celebrity Life.
