Former The X Factor star Katie Waissel has alleged that she was sexually assaulted by a crew member several years after her appearance on the show.
The 35-year-old competed in the seventh series of the ITV talent contest in 2010, finishing in seventh place under the mentorship of Cheryl, and also appeared in the 18th edition of Celebrity Big Brother in 2016.
Speaking to The Sun, Waissel claimed that the assault by the unnamed man took place in the US after they met to talk about recording work.
"I can still smell him. I was paralysed with shock. All I could think was, 'How am I going to leave this room?'" she said.
"I was a victim but I wouldn't allow myself to recognise just how terrible it had been. I've never spoken before as I thought I'd be blacklisted and never work again.
"I was vulnerable but times have changed and I now feel bold enough to speak out.
"I was so focused on being successful and was vulnerable to a man like this who exploited that."
The man, who is said to no longer work with Simon Cowell's production company Syco, has denied the allegations against him and the matter has not been taken further as Waissel has not registered an official complaint.
"We asked Katie to lodge a complaint with us and detail the allegations for that purpose," said a spokesman for Syco.
"Despite a number of requests to Katie asking her to detail the claims to us, she chose not to make a complaint over his behaviour.
"As a result, and without evidence to the contrary, we were obliged to accept his denial of the claims.
"We, of course, remain ready and keen to investigate her claims if she chooses to detail them to us."
The X Factor was rested by ITV after its 2019 run but could return to the schedules in 2022.
Neil Wilkes
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