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The BBC presenter accused of paying a teenager more than £35,000 for sexually explicit images ‘stripped to his underpants’ in a video call with them, their mother has claimed.
She told how she saw pictures of him in his underwear, ‘leaning forward, getting ready for my child to perform for him’, after the requests began when her child was just 17.
The presenter, who has not been named, has reportedly been taken off air pending an investigation, but he is said to be known to millions of people.
The teen’s mother told the Sun she ‘loved’ watching the presenter, and was left ‘shocked’ to see a photograph of him in his underwear on the sofa of his house.
‘I immediately recognised him. He was leaning forward getting ready for my child to perform for him. My child told me, ‘I have shown things’ and this was a picture from some kind of video call.’
The BBC star was said to have been taken off air on Thursday – but has not been suspended, the Sun reports
The presenter is off-air but has not been suspended while the claims are investigated – despite BBC guidelines which state that any staff member accused of a serious breach of conduct can be ‘immediately suspended.
The star is also said to be being paid his full six-figure salary while the BBC investigates the shocking allegations.
Several major BBC stars have been quick to confirm they are not the man behind the scandal. Rylan, Jeremy Vine and Gary Lineker have all denied they are involved.
It follows the revelation yesterday that the unnamed presenter had been allegedly paying the teen, who is now 20, for explicit photographs for three years.
The distraught mother told how their child was using the money, which was said to have been deposited in their bank account in hundreds or even thousands at a time, to fund their ‘spiralling’ crack cocaine addiction.
The mother told The Sun on Sunday: ‘We just wanted the BBC to tell him to stop. I’ve had three years of hell. The impact of this has been terrifying.’
She continued: ‘In my mind that man was supplying the crack. My child wouldn’t have access to this money if it wasn’t for him. If it goes on then my child is going to wind up dead. Putting this out to the public is the only way to stop it.’
She claims that the family complained to the BBC in May, asking for the presenter to be told to stop sending their child money.
She previously told the paper she feels ‘sick’ whenever she sees the presenter on television, and blames him for ‘destroying my child’s life’.
The star, said to be known to millions, allegedly requested ‘performances’ from the teenager, who used the cash to fund their spiralling drug habit.
Jeremy Vine (pictured) has also distanced himself from the allegations today
Rylan Clark was one of three high-profile names to deny his involvement on Thursday
This evening, Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker, became the third prominent BBC presenter to distance himself from reports that a top BBC star paid a vulnerable teenager £35,000 for sexual pictures that the youngster used to buy crack cocaine
The explicit messages are said to have started in 2020. The family said the star did not hide his identity and even sent photographs to the teen while he was at work.
He would allegedly request ‘performances’ from the teenager, who told their mother they would then ‘get their bits out’.
The mother told the Sun their child went from a ‘happy-go-lucky youngster to a ghost-like crack addict’ in just three years.
It is claimed that even after the family complained, the star continued to send money and remained on air.
On one occasion, he sent the teenager a lump sum of £5,000.
The teenager’s mother told the paper she once heard the BBC star telling them: ‘I told you not to f***ing ring me’.
She said her relationship with her child has always been close, and that they have previously confided when the man has sent them money.
It comes as major BBC celebrities have stated publicly they are not the presenter being investigated.
This evening, Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker, became the third prominent BBC presenter to say they were not the BBC star facing the serious accusations.
At just after 7pm, the football pundit tweeted: ‘Hate to disappoint the haters but it’s not me.’
Earlier today, Rylan, who has presented on BBC Radio Two among a string of other work, was the first to declare he was not the host in question.
He wrote: ‘Not sure why my names floating about but re that story in The Sun – that ain’t me babe.
‘I’m currently filming a show in Italy for the BBC, so take my name out ya mouths.’
Vine then also distanced himself from the claims, adding: Just to say I’m very much looking forward to hosting my radio show on Monday — whoever the ‘BBC Presenter’ in the news is, I have the same message for you as Rylan did earlier: it certainly ain’t me.’
Today, the BBC’s culture editor Katie Razzall said the presenter’s continued presence on its content after a serious allegation was made ‘leads to questions about what steps the Corporation took after the complaint.’
She said many questions were still unanswered, including how the investigation was undertaken and if it was appropriate for the unnamed presenter to remain on air following the allegation.
BBC News entertainment correspondent Lizo Mzimba today said that the unnamed presenter will not appear on air in the near future.
He told the BBC News channel: ‘We understand that the presenter is currently not scheduled to be on air in the near future.’
A BBC spokesperson told MailOnline on Thursday: ‘We treat any allegations very seriously and we have processes in place to proactively deal with them.
‘As part of that, if we receive information that requires further investigation or examination, we will take steps to do this.
‘That includes actively attempting to speak to those who have contacted us in order to seek further detail and understanding of the situation.
‘If we get no reply to our attempts or receive no further contact that can limit our ability to progress things but it does not mean our enquiries stop.
‘If, at any point, new information comes to light or is provided — including via newspapers — this will be acted upon appropriately, in line with internal processes.’
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