Laura Whitmore has claimed she was sexually assaulted in a nightclub last year.
Laura Whitmore
The 'Survival of the Fittest' presenter has revealed a man she didn't know grabbed her between the legs while she was boogying on the dance floor during a night out.
Writing in an article for the Irish magazine Hot Press, the 32-year-old said: "I've wanted to write this for a while but I've been scared. I feel ashamed to say I was scared but I was. I still am. Scared of what people might say, drawing attention to things that upset me, adding fuel to the fire.
"Last year I was in a club with my friends and I could feel a hand on the back of my leg. Initially I thought it was my boyfriend messing or a mate about to pinch my bottom - but the hand went under my skirt, between my legs, and firmly touched me. As I turned, I saw it was a guy who I did not know. He was laughing."
The blonde beauty was with her older cousin Clair at the time and she made the man apologise to Laura but the frightening experience still haunts her now.
She explained: "My older cousin Clair, who was with me, pushed the guy against a wall, and made him apologise to me.
"That single moment comes back to me every time I feel violated in a similar way. No one has the right to do that to anyone. My body. My property. This I know - but sadly, I've experienced similar things repeatedly."
Laura - who is dating 'Love Island' voice over star Iain Stirling - loves working in the spotlight but has admitted it does have some downfalls.
She added: "I know that compared to many people I have been fortunate. I love this life and I've been blessed with wonderful opportunities - but I've had enough of being trivialised and gossiped about. Women are not playthings - either of men or of the media - and should not be treated as such."
Tagged in Laura Whitmore