A woman who worked as Don Burke’s producer for seven years was moved to tears describing how the gardening TV star allegedly threatened her at work.
Bridget Ninness said the Burke’s Backyard host’s alleged remarks to her during a work trip to Greece were continuing to psychologically haunt her.
‘Don pulled me aside and he said “I’m just going to tell you that if anything goes wrong on this trip I’m going to rip your f***ing head off, and sh** down your throat”,’ she told the ABC’s 7.30 program.
Former producer Bridget Ninness was in tears recalling Don Burke allegedly threatening her on work trip
Don Burke denied both allegations leveled against him by two former female producers
‘So — and I actually vomited, I was actually so nervous that I vomited.’
Ms Ninness was in tears recalling that episode, which she reported to the Nine Network’s then chief executive David Leckie.
‘I’ve tried so hard to put this experience out of my head,’ she said.
Burke told the Nine Networks’ A Current Affair he had never made that threat.
‘I never said anything remotely like that to anyone I’ve ever worked with or anyone I know,’ he told Tracy Grimshaw on Monday night.
‘Anybody that does say that should be run out of town on a rail. It’s despicable.’
Another former producer Louise Langdon alleges Don Burke tried to take off her clothes
Another former work colleague Louise Langdon, who worked as a producer on his 2UE radio program and on his TV show during the 1980s, alleges Burke assaulted her during a trip to Alice Springs.
‘He was saying it in a joking way, “It’s too hot up here. It’s too hot up here. You don’t need so many clothes on”,’ she told the ABC.
She also accused Burke of showing her a video of a woman having sex with a male donkey, and making constant remarks about sex.
Don Burke, whose program ran on the Nine Network from 1987 to 2004, denies allegations
Don Burke has been accused of harassment by former female producers on his program
‘He encouraged me to look at this video which was exactly as he described it. I was just speechless. What do you do when your boss is showing you this thing?’,’ she told the ABC.
‘Dealing with Don Burke was an endurance test in terms of his persistence in commentary about anything sexual.’
Ms Langdon, who now works as a psychologist in the United States, claimed her former boss regularly asked her about her sex life.
‘It started very early on when I worked with him at the radio station 2UE, and the comment was, “Did you get your rocks off last night?” Meaning, did you have sex last night? That was his way of greeting me in the morning,’ she siad.
Don Burke told A Current Affair host Tracy Grimshaw the alleged behaviour was despicable
‘He was lewd. He was lewd and he was crude and he loved …to shock you, it was always of a sexual nature so it was always designed to confront you and to demean you,’ she said.
Burke also denied the allegation he tried to removed Langdon’s top during a work trip in the Northern Territory.
‘I certainly wouldn’t have done it seriously,’ he told A Current Affair.
‘Researchers didn’t come with us on work trips.’