Rylan Clark says he's not BBC presenter accused of paying teen for sexually explicit pics
Rylan Clark has denied rumours he's at the centre of an alleged scandal which saw a BBC presenter pay a teenager for sexually explicit images.
The accusations came to light in a report released by The Sun this week which claimed a male presenter paid a teenager tens of thousands of pounds for photographs, beginning when they were 17 years old.
The mother of the alleged victim told the paper that her child, who is now 20, had used the money from the presenter to fund a drug habit.
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She claimed they had gone from a 'happy-go-lucky youngster to a ghost-like crack addict' in three years.
The family of the alleged victim is said to have complained to the BBC on 19 May, but went to The Sun after becoming frustrated that the star remained on air.
The presenter has not been named, but rumours began to swirl online after the report was released.
Rylan Clark, who has hosted a number of television shows, including Eurovision coverage, since his rise to fame on The X Factor, has said his name is among those which have been mentioned.
He defended himself in a post on Twitter today (8 July), stating: "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."
Rylan has also recently shared images of himself visiting famous sights in Rome.
The BBC is now believed to be looking into the allegations, with the accused star set to remain off the air in the coming days.
A spokesperson for the broadcaster commented: "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."
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000, 10am-2pm Monday to Friday. If you are a child seeking advice and support, call Childline for free on 0800 1111.
Emily Brown