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Julio Iglesias has rejected “with deep regret” the sexual harassment allegations against him, after two of his former employees said this week that the Spanish singer sexually harassed them and subjected them to various humiliations.
“I deny having abused, coerced, or disrespected any woman,” Iglesias wrote in a message posted on his Instagram profile. “These accusations are absolutely false and cause me great sadness.”
Iglesias adds that “he had never felt such malice”, but says that he still has “strength” to make “the whole truth” known and to defend his dignity “in the face of such a serious affront”.
“I cannot forget so many dearly loved people who have sent me messages of affection and loyalty; I have found much comfort in them,” Iglesias concludes in his Instagram message.
Earlier this week, two women who say they worked for Iglesias in 2021 claimed that the popular artist sexually assaulted them while they were working at his residences in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas, following an investigation by ‘elDiario.es’, in collaboration with ‘Univisión Noticias’.
According to the account of the alleged victims, Iglesias exercised absolute control over them and abused his power, with behaviour they describe as constant “sexual assaults” and “humiliations”.
In response, Spain’s Equality Ministry Ana Redondo called for “a full investigation” in an X post, while Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Diaz described the allegations as “chilling testimonies”.
Following the revelations, the Prosecutor’s Office of Spain’s National Court decided to open a preliminary investigation into the allegations in one of the cases. The assaults described by both women, who in the report are identified under the pseudonyms Rebeca and Laura, are said to have taken place at the mansions the artist owns in Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) and Lyford Cay (Bahamas).
The events are said to have occurred during the period when both were employed by the singer, who at the time was 77, as live-in staff, one as a domestic worker and the other as a physiotherapist. The organisations Women’s Link Worldwide and Amnesty International reported last Wednesday that the two complainants are currently still employed by the artist; however, Euronews has not been able to confirm this.
Although Iglesias initially avoided commenting on the case, on Tuesday his friend and renowned journalist Paloma García-Pelayo, told the television programme ‘laSexta Clave’ that the artist “is worried” about the allegations.
García-Pelayo emphasised that the singer fears the damage his reputation may suffer due to allegations that have spread way beyond Spain’s borders. According to García-Pelayo, the artist believes his image “has fallen completely” and is experiencing the situation “as if he’d been killed internationally for his image”.
Best known internationally for his romantic ballads, Iglesias enjoyed enormous success during the 1970s and 1980s and has recorded with US artists Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder and Willie Nelson.
Author Ignacio Peyro, who recently published a biography of Iglesias, expressed “deep consternation” over the reported incidents, adding the allegations were “not known” when his book was published.
Additional sources • AFP