BBC presenter Stephen Nolan has said he is “deeply sorry” following claims he shared a sexually explicit photograph with staff.
Several claims were made in The Irish News on Tuesday, including that he had sent the image of reality star Stephen Bear to other members of staff in 2016.
It was reported that Mr Nolan, the BBC’s fifth highest paid star at £400,000 a year, shared the image when he wanted to book Bear as a guest on his show.
Bear was sentenced to 21 months in prison this year on two counts of revenge pornography and one count of voyeurism after images of Georgia Harrison, his ex-girlfriend, engaging in sexual activity circulated. He later won £200,000 in compensation.
‘I am deeply sorry’
Addressing the allegations on his radio show on BBC Radio Ulster on Friday, Nolan said: “We’ve had days, as you probably know, of headlines about me and Nolan’s team in the papers this week.
“I am not ignoring history. It’s just that the BBC have processes in place to deal with staff complaints and I need to fully respect those processes.
“They have to be confidential for them to work. However, I can say one thing and that is that I am sorry.
“There was a photograph, it was widely available on the internet, and I was talking to an old friend and colleague outside of work. I am deeply sorry.
Texts and documents leaked to The Irish News reportedly showed Mr Nolan demanded, “I want Bear!”, after sending the photos in November 2016.
