Gary Lineker, Rylan and Jeremy Vine say they aren't presenter 'taken off air after paying £35k for teen's pictures'

8 July 2023, 08:03 | Updated: 8 July 2023, 20:53

Gary Lineker, Jeremy Vine and Rylan Clark have denied being the top BBC presenter reportedly taken off air after paying a teenager £35,000 for sexual pictures that funded their crack addiction.

The unidentified presenter is accused of paying the youngster from the age of 17, the Sun reported.

Gary Lineker tweeted this afternoon: "Hate to disappoint the haters but it’s not me."

And Rylan tweeted this morning: "Not sure why my names floating about but re that story in The Sun - that ain't me babe."

Jeremy Vine also posted on Saturday: "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."

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The teenager is said to have used the money to pay for crack cocaine that has destroyed their life, according to their mother.

"When I see him on telly, I feel sick," the mother said of the TV star.

"I blame this BBC man for destroying my child’s life.

"Taking my child’s innocence and handing over the money for crack cocaine that could kill my child.”

She said how her child, now aged 20, had transformed from "a happy-go-lucky youngster to a ghost-like crack addict" in the three years since the payment began.

The presenter is said to have paid thousands of pounds at a time into the bank account of the teenager, including one lump sum of £5,000.

Neither the individual or the teenager, who was said to be 17 when the payments began, has been identified.

The Sun said the teen's family complained to the BBC on May 19.

In response to The Sun's report, a BBC spokesperson said: "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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