Ulrika Jonsson reveals late paedophile Rolf Harris groped her
Ulrika Jonsson reveals late paedophile Rolf Harris groped her in a ‘deeply uncomfortable’ incident when she was a 21-year-old weather girl
Ulrika Jonsson has said the late Rolf Harris groped her when she was 21 years old.
The Australian painter and television personality died aged 93 earlier this month from neck cancer.
Presenter Ulrika, 55, says she was sexually assaulted by Rolf when she worked as a TV-am weather girl in the 1980s.
The former Celebrity Big Brother housemate told how he squeezed her bottom backstage at a studio which left her feeling ‘deeply uncomfortable’.
She wrote in her column for The Sun: ‘I remember thinking that was either really flattering or a bit forward. Either way, it was confusing.
Horrific: Ulrika Jonsson, 55, has said the late Rolf Harris groped her when she was 21 years old and a weather girl
Gone: The Australian painter and television personality died aged 93 earlier this month from neck cancer (Rolf pictured in 2014)
‘Then his hand travelled down to my bum, gave it a few squeezes and stayed there for what felt like years but was probably only 30 seconds.
‘But it was long enough for my 21-year-old self to feel deeply uncomfortable, and speechless.
‘I know I won’t have been the only one who fell victim to his hands. Thirty-five years ago we didn’t say anything.
‘We didn’t pipe up or call anyone out. Especially not a celebrity.’
She said she would have reacted much differently today, insisting Rolf would have gotten a ‘knuckle sandwich’.
Ulrika described Rolf as ‘arrogant and thought he was untouchable’, adding: ‘Like so many abusers, he never saw his actions as wrong.’
The death of the convicted sex predator was confirmed by the registrar at Maidenhead Town Hall on Tuesday afternoon.
Australian-born star Rolf was said to have been gravely ill with neck cancer and had been living as a virtual recluse at his £5 million home in Berkshire since he was freed from jail in 2017.
Speaking out: Presenter Ulrika says she was sexually assaulted by Rolf when she worked as a TV-am weather girl in the 1980s (pictured in January)
He had been fighting to eat and talk, according to an author who claimed to have seen him last year.
Private investigator and writer William Merritt told the Mail Online after an ambulance was seen outside the disgraced TV host’s house: ‘Rolf has been very sick. When I saw him he was able to speak to me. He was with it, but he was obviously unwell.’
It’s understood Rolf’s health took a turn for the worse after the sudden death of his poodle last year.
Mr Merritt added: ‘(He’s) battling a cancer of the neck, and gurgles when he talks. It’s difficult to understand him.
‘As soon as one of two people walk into the room, he turns into a big kid again. He’s an artistic type, and he’ll try to perform on cue, even when he’s unwell.’
Rolf’s wife Alwen, 91, is in a wheelchair due to her Alzheimer’s disease, and the couple, who married in 1958 and have one child – a daughter called Bindi – lived together with the help of 24-hour care.
An investigation into Rolf recently revealed four more victims had come forward to discuss their traumatic experiences with the former kids’ TV favourite.
They claimed in an ITV documentary he humiliated young girls as well as sexually assaulted young women.
Disgraced: In light of his conviction, Harris had his 2012 Bafta fellowship removed and was stripped of his CBE. He also had Australian honours taken away
In June 2014, Rolf was found guilty of 12 counts of indecently assaulting four girls in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.
He was released from jail in May 2017 after serving three years of his five years and nine-month sentence, with one of his counts of sexual assault later overturned.
Best known for his TV art shows and hit songs Tie me Kangaroo Down Sport and Jake the Peg, the disgraced TV host also famously painted the 80th birthday portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth.
Rolf was known for using unique instruments such as the didgeridoo and stylohpone, while he is credited as the inventor of the wobble board.
His TV, music and art career began in the 1950s after moving to the UK aged 22.
After a string of hits, he became known for hosting the shows Rolf’s Cartoon Club and Animal Hospital.
Shocking: A new ITVX documentary recently unearthed disturbing footage of Rolf (right) joking with Jimmy Savile (left) about leaving a little girl ‘safely in his arms’
His sexual abuse of minors became public after comedian Jimmy Savile’s infamous sexual abuse scandal in 2012, with Rolf arrested during the Operation Yewtree investigation by police.
He denied any wrongdoing and was bailed.
However, he was arrested again in 2013 regarding historical allegations from the 1980s.
The cases involved two girls aged between 14 and 16, and he faced four counts of allegedly producing indecent images of children in 2012.
Source: Read Full Article