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Boy George, real name George Alan O’Dowd, 61, is said to be the highest-paid celebrity to have ever entered the I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! jungle after reportedly being offered a whopping £500k to appear on the show.
With the highly-anticipated series kicking off tonight, Audun Carlsen has spoken out about how he is still traumatised by the incident that landed George in jail.
The attack, which occurred in 2007, involved the singer handcuffing Audun to a wall in his London flat. George has always denied a court claim that he beat Audun with a chain
Two years later, a judge described the attack as “callous” and “humiliating” before sentencing George to 15 months in prison for assault and false imprisonment.
George has said he was high on drugs and having a psychotic episode at the time of the attack. He has since sought treatment and is understood to have remained sober ever since.
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Now, Audun has spoken out about the ordeal and slammed ITV for giving George “a platform” on the hugely popular show.
He told the Mirror: “I still see the monster that he is every time I see him. It’s hurtful that ITV give him that platform.
“Had I been a woman and he did what he did, he would never have been given the platform. It’s hurtful that big organisations like ITV give him that platform.
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“I think giving him this sort of platform and a record fee sends the wrong message to survivors of violence and abuse and is plain wrong.”
“Everyone is entitled to a second chance and George has certainly earned it.”
Express.co.uk has also contacted Boy George’s representatives for comment.
As for Audun’s comments that it is “hurtful” that ITV has “given him a platform”, a source for the broadcaster told Express.co.uk: “This is a historic, spent conviction and George has appeared on major TV networks globally on numerous occasions since over the last decade.”
Following his time in jail, Boy George made a comeback as a judge on the fifth series of The Voice UK, replacing Tom Jones as a mentor.
He later joined The Voice Australia as a coach for three seasons.
In addition, George has made several guest appearances on Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alongside his manager Paul Kemsley and his wife Dorit.
Tonight, George will enter the I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! jungle alongside the likes of Matt Hancock, Mike Tindall and Chris Moyles.
You can watch at 9pm on ITV.
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