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Oprah Opens Up About Child Sex Abuse on Debut of New Show
by Keka Araújo
May 23, 2021
Media mogul Oprah Winfrey has always been forthcoming about individuals living in their truths and reconciling trauma. Now, the 67-year-old boss has opened up again about her own experience with being sexually assaulted as a young girl.
In the inaugural episode of the new AppleTV+ series she created with Prince Harry– The Me You Can See, Winfrey delved into the pain of being raped by a male relative during her youth.
“At nine and 10 and 11 and 12 years old, I was raped by my 19-year-old cousin. I didn’t know what rape was. I certainly wasn’t aware of the word,” she explained. “I had no idea what sex was. I had no idea where babies came from. I didn’t even know what was happening to me.”
“It’s just something I accepted,” Winfrey continued, saying her rape taught her an incredible lesson– “that a girl child ain’t safe in a world full of men.”
“The telling of the story, the being able to say out loud, ‘This is what happened to me,’ is crucial,” she added, explaining that talking about it– liberated her.
Winfrey first spoke about her childhood trauma in 1986 on her talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show. In the episode, she detailed her rape at the hands of her 19-year-old cousin to raise awareness about survivors and encourage them to come forward. The Color Purple star also reiterated how important it was for parents and caregivers to advocate for their children.
The statistics for Black women and girls being victims of rape and abuse are staggering.
According to the National Center Against Violence In The Black Community, one out of every 15 Black female rape victims reports the crime. Also, one in four Black girls will be sexually assaulted by the age of 18. And one in five Black women is a rape survivor.
As more survivors valiantly step forward to break generational trauma and to reconcile their pasts, it’s imperative that family, friends and others step up to advocate and support them.
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'I had PTSD, anxiety and depression': Gordon Ramsay's daughter Holly, 21, reveals she spent three months in a mental health hospital after being sexually assaulted twice aged 18
By CIARA FARMER FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 09:46 EDT, 26 May 2021 | UPDATED: 18:47 EDT, 26 May 2021
Gordon Ramsay's daughter Holly has revealed she spent three months in a mental health hospital after suffering PTSD from sexual assaults.
Speaking on her 21 & Over with Holly Ramsay podcast, the 21-year-old detailed how she was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder at university, which was the result of two sexual assaults when she was 18.
She left Ravensbourne University after one year and was admitted to the Nightingale Hospital in Marylebone, London's only private mental health hospital.
Holly gave the heartbreaking account, as she said: 'I went to university, studied fashion design, and I loved it. But by the second half of the first year I was being affected by my PTSD and I had no idea that this was happening.
'I was going out a lot, missing class because I'd been out. I wasn't enjoying myself. I was struggling a lot. The PTSD was a result of two sexual assaults when I was 18...
'I didn't tell anyone about it until a year afterwards. I just buried it in a box in the back of my mind. [In hospital] is was where I was diagnosed with PTSD, anxiety and depression.
'Since then, I have been in therapy up to three times a week. I now have these diagnoses that I carry around with me. It's confusing and I'm trying to take control of my narrative and use that to make something good.'
She then gave a nod to her father Gordon, 54, her mother Tana, 46, her twin, Jack, sisters Megan, 23, and Matilda, 19, and baby brother Oscar, two.
Holly said: 'It's brought me closer to them in many ways.'
She previously said: 'I’ve lost friends. It’s definitely a journey. But I hope that by speaking out I can help other people...
'I hope we can continue to break the stigma surrounding our mental health. Asking for help is not only the bravest thing you can do, but it is also your first step to reaching a happier & healthier you.'
21 And Over With Holly Ramsay is billed as: 'A podcast for those who struggle with anxiety, self-doubt, mental health and creating identities in today’s world...
'Join Holly Ramsay as she opens up and shares her journey with mental health along with other guests, advocates, musicians and more. We’ll laugh, we’ll cry, but most of all we’ll learn to celebrate our growth and what's to come in the future!'
The Ramsay family have long been staunch mental health campaigners, with mum Tana previously revealing that the family use exercise to help with trauma.
On exercise and mental health, she said: 'What it does is allow you to process things. Whether it is cycling and chatting together, or running and having a cry on your own, you have to have that release...
'You also have to have those moments where you allow yourself to feel really sad, when you’re thinking, “Why me?” We’re all going to think like that occasionally. It means we can handle it. It has drawn us together as a family.
‘It’s also important to talk with the children and not just think everything is fine. Gordon’s a really big one for talking. Sometimes I just say to him “Seriously?”, and he’s like: “No, we have to talk about it.” Sometimes that’s irritating'.
For help with any issues in this story call Refuge on 0808 2000 247, Mind on 0300 123 3393 or Samaritans on 116 123
Neymar ‘tried to force female employee to perform oral sex on him in hotel room’ before his mammoth $105MN Nike deal ended early
28 May, 2021 11:34
Neymar's deal with Nike ended early © Stephane Mahe / Reuters
An intoxicated Neymar took off his underwear and tried to force a Nike employee who had helped him to his hotel room to perform oral sex on him, according to the details of an alleged incident said to have taken place in New York.
The sportswear giant, which did not publicly detail why it prematurely ended its huge deal with the world's most expensive footballer last year, is said to have told a report that Neymar failed to "co-operate in a good faith" with an investigation into the accusations, which related to a purported encounter in 2016.
Then at Barcelona, Neymar is claimed to have made the invitation to the long-time Nike employee – who is said to have helped co-ordinate logistics for the striker and his entourage, including a visit to a Michael Jordan event and a nightclub – after she was left alone with him in his room.
The woman had allegedly been one of two employees tasked with taking Neymar to his room, only to have been blocked by him from leaving before he chased her down the hotel hallway while he was still undressed, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Neymar's spokeswoman told the outlet that the Paris Saint-Germain superstar denies the allegation. "Neymar Jr. will vigorously defend himself against these baseless attacks in case any claim is presented, which did not happen so far,” she said in a statement, adding that her client split from Nike for commercial reasons.
The report said that the employee shared the incident with numerous friends, relatives and employees in the weeks that followed, making a complaint in 2018 when other women in the company came forward to discuss experiences of harassment and discrimination as part of a survey about the treatment of women at the company, according to documents and accounts.
In June 2019, another woman accused Neymar of rape at a Paris hotel a month earlier, with the former Ballon d'Or contender saying that his encounter with the Brazilian model was consensual and accusing her of attempting to extort him.
Brazilian authorities dropped the investigation, citing a lack of evidence, and subsequently charged the model with slander, extortion and procedural fraud, later dismissing the slander and extortion charges and acquitting her of fraud. A spokeswoman for her said she stands by her original account of the alleged incident.
Shortly after the Brazilian model made her public allegation, the Nike employee approached Hilary Krane, Nike’s general counsel, and Monique Matheson, the head of Nike’s human resources department, to ask for an update about the complaint she made about Neymar a year earlier, according to the people and documents.
Nike executives are said to have told the employee they had not taken any action because they had been under the impression she did not want them to.
Apparently, it never occurred to anyone to ask her.
Nike’s marketing contract with Neymar had another eight years remaining, the Journal quoted a source with knowledge of the details as saying. The report said that Nike hired lawyers at Cooley LLP to start an investigation that began in 2019, opting to stop him featuring in marketing while the probe was underway.
“Nike ended its relationship with the athlete because he refused to co-operate in a good faith investigation of credible allegations of wrongdoing by an employee,” Krane told the Journal, adding that “no single set of facts emerged that would enable us to speak substantively on the matter" and "it would be inappropriate for Nike to make an accusatory statement without being able to provide supporting facts.”
“As her employer, we had a responsibility to respect her privacy and did not believe it was appropriate to share that information with law enforcement or any third party without the employee’s consent," she said of the initial contact.
“In 2019, when the employee later expressed interest in pursuing the matter, we acted immediately. From the very beginning, we have treated the employee’s allegations and her experience with great seriousness.”
The report quoted Neymar's spokeswoman as responding: “It is very strange that a case that was supposed to have happened in 2016, with allegations by a Nike employee, come to light only at that moment.
“Similar to the sexual assault allegations made against him in 2019 – allegations which the Brazilian authorities found Neymar Jr innocent of – these allegations are false.”
Some of the people referenced in the report are said to have claimed that Neymar disputed the woman’s account during the investigation but refused to be personally interviewed by Nike’s representatives.
Cooley lawyer Amanda Main said the firm “conducted an extensive and thorough investigation, both within the company and through external sources.”
Interviews are said to have been conducted with witnesses including Nike employees, and the documents reportedly show that Nike helped the employee retain counsel while agreeing to pay her legal fees.
The woman is said to have asked Nike executives to tell the public that Neymar’s behavior didn’t "align with its values" and start enforcing morality clauses in athlete contracts alongside a code of conduct for endorsement deals.
Neymar signed a deal with Puma in September 2020. A spokeswoman for the company declined to comment to the Journal, with an attorney for the Nike employee failing to respond to requests for comment from the reporter.
Man United legend Ryan Giggs to face trial in January over charges of headbutting ex-girlfriend, ‘coercive & controlling’ behavior
28 May, 2021 09:55
Football legend Ryan Giggs has had his trial date set in Manchester © Jason Cairnduff / Reuters
Manchester United icon Ryan Giggs will face a court in January 2022 over allegations of headbutting his ex-girlfriend as part of nearly three years of “coercive and controlling” behavior, with a preparatory hearing set for July.
The Wales manager and United record appearance holder is accused of assaulting Kate Greville, as well as a further charge relating to an alleged spell of behavior towards the PR executive between December 2017 and November 2020.
A separate charge involves an alleged assault by the 13-time Premier League winner on Greville's younger sister, Emma, in Salford, Greater Manchester last November.
Giggs denies all the offenses, appearing for a brief hearing at Manchester Crown Court on Friday, when the trial date was set for January 24, with a hearing in preparation for the case at the start of July.
Speaking on Friday morning, His Honour Judge Dean QC, The Honorary Recorder of Manchester, expressed his "regret" that the date was "so far in the future", adding that it was "the best we can do in the circumstances".
The trial, which centers on charges brought in April of actual bodily harm caused to a woman in her 30s, common assault of a woman in her 20s and coercive or controlling behaviour, could last as long as three weeks, with potential jurors reportedly set to be asked whether they have any allegiance to a football team.
Giggs, who has not been involved in the management of his national side since he was arrested in November, responded in a statement in April: “I have full respect for the due process of law and understand the seriousness of the allegations.
“I will plead not guilty in court and look forward to clearing my name.
“I would like to wish [caretaker manager] Robert Page, the coaching staff, the players and the supporters every success at the Euros this summer.”
Wales play friendlies against Albania and France next week before starting their Euro 2020 campaign under Page against Switzerland on June 12.
Bill Cosby denied parole after refusing sex-offender treatment therapy
28 May, 2021 20:36
FILE PHOTO: Bill Cosby leaves the Montgomery County Courthouse after sentencing
in his sexual assault trial in 2018. © REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
Disgraced US comedian Bill Cosby has been denied parole after he refused to take part in sex-offender therapy programs and to acknowledge wrongdoing, even if it meant serving out his 10-year jail term in full.
Cosby, 83, has served three years so far at the state prison in Pennsylvania and this would have been the first time he was eligible for parole.
His publicist and spokesperson Andrew Wyatt said the rejection of his early release was “appalling” and that the actor “vehemently proclaims his innocence.”
“We knew he was going to be rejected. He called me and told me that if he didn’t take the course, he would be denied. He has maintained his innocence from the beginning,” Wyatt added.
Cosby was sentenced to a decade behind bars and designated a sex offender in 2018 after he was convicted of drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand in 2004. He has been held at the State Correctional Institution in Phoenix, a suburb of Philadelphia.
A spokeswoman for the state parole board, Laura Treaster, said the former star of the Cosby Show would not be considered for parole until he completes sexual predator therapy.
Constand reacted to the decision not to grant Cosby parole by posting a tweet that read: “DENIED.”
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