Don Burke, 70, bought a horse for a younger female relative so he could watch her ‘rub on its back’, according to explosive new allegations.
The Burke’s Backyard presenter allegedly made the disgusting comment to a female entertainment writer during an interview at his farm in 1988.
‘I was sort of asking the other reasons that he decided to make the country change, and he said one of the reasons was he wanted to get horses because he had a [younger] female relative – i’ll put it that way – who he liked to watch rub her c*** on its back,’ she told the ABC.
‘I felt really physically sick.’
Don Burke (pictured in an episode of Burke’s Backyard) bought a horse for a younger female relative so he could watch her ‘rub on its back’, according to explosive new allegations
The reporter, who wanted to remain anonymous, said she was so disgusted by Mr Burke’s alleged comment, she took the tape recording to Channel Nine’s publicity team demanding action be taken against the TV personality.
She claimed she received a bunch of flowers the following day and the complaint was forgotten.
In a statement released by Burke, he said he ‘never commented on the body shape of any family member’.
‘The story about the reporter quoting me is a total fabrication,’ he said.
The entertainment reporter said it was not the first time Mr Burke was inappropriate during an interview.
‘He would interrupt the interview quite often by saying things like, “I bet you’re a demon f***. I bet you love c**k”, which obviously I found incredibly untoward and rude,’ she said.
She said Mr Burke was one of the worst, if not the worst, sexual harassment offenders she encountered in the entertainment industry
The reporter, who wanted to remain anonymous, said she was so disgusted by Mr Burke’s alleged comment, she took the tape recording to Channel Nine’s publicity team (Burke pictured on an episode of Burke’s Backyard)
The following year, he allegedly asked her what sex positions she enjoyed.
She said Mr Burke was one of the worst, if not the worst, sexual harassment offender she encountered in the entertainment industry.
Her claims come amid bombshell allegations published by the ABC and Fairfax that the TV personality sexually harassed numerous female colleagues and young women.
The TV personality’s accusers include former TV producers, crew members and TV hopefuls on his show Burke’s Backyard, which ran on Australian TV for 17 years until it was axed in 2004.
Sensational claims surfaced on Sunday night alleging Mr Burke sexually harassed and bullied women during his time as the star of Burke’s Backyard
Sensational claims surfaced on Sunday night alleging Mr Burke sexually harassed and bullied women during his time as the star of Burke’s Backyard.
Former researcher Louise Landon claimed Mr Burke made her watch a bestiality video featuring a woman in a sex act with a donkey.
Ms Landon, then 27, claimed Mr Burke gained pleasure from her shock reaction to the video, which left her ‘speechless’ and ‘overcome’.
Ms Langdon claimed Mr Burke later indecently assaulted her, the ABC reported.
‘It was things like pulling at my bra strap, flicking a bra strap… pulling up my shirt to see what colour underwear I was wearing,’ she said.
Mr Burke allegedly sexually harassed female colleagues and young women, including a teenage girl
Another time he allegedly pushed his toe into her backside to check how firm it was, and with disappointment noted she ‘hadn’t been working out’.
On a trip to Alice Springs for Burke’s radio show, Ms Langdon claimed he joked it was so hot she should remove her clothing as they sat together on a shuttle bus.
‘He decided that it was okay for him to put his hands on my T-shirt and try and pull my bra strap, my bra, off and somehow remove my clothing. He was trying to take my top off,’ she said.
Burke denied any of these incidents occurred and said researchers were not taken on location for taping, and he found no record of her being on such a trip.
Former researcher Louise Landon claimed Mr Burke (pictured together) made her watch a bestiality video featuring a woman in a sex act with a donkey
A former crew member on Burke’s Backyard claimed the personality bragged about groping a teenage girl.
They claimed Mr Burke approached a group of young girls and showed them how to correctly hold their puppy.
After the disturbing encounter, Mr Burke allegedly boasted he had stroked the teenage girl’s nipple three times while showing her how to hold the dog.
‘It was things like pulling at my bra strap, flicking a bra strap… pulling up my shirt to see what colour underwear I was wearing,’ Ms Langdon (pictured) claimed
Two former TV researchers also claimed Mr Burke groped their breasts.
Former actress Wendy Dent revealed she encountered Mr Burke while working as a children’s entertainer in the mid-1990s.
As part of her routine she had him kneel in front of her, sprinkled some ‘stardust’ over him and said he could have any wish once he opened he eyes.
To the then 21-year-old’s shock, Burke said it hadn’t worked because she was still wearing clothes, she claimed.
Ms Dent said she was later on the phone with the gardening guru discussing work opportunities, when the call allegedly took a sinister turn.
‘He was talking to me about being able to help make my TV career, but starting with having me on Burke’s Backyard as kind of a featured mermaid. And he suggested, ‘Well you’ll have to audition, but you’ll have to be topless’,’ she told the publication.
‘I went from feeling like this talent with a future to feeling like I was just a pair of boobs to him, to be honest.’
Two former TV researchers also claimed Mr Burke groped their breasts
Bridget Ninness, a former producer on Burke’s Backyard for seven years, described Burke as a ‘vile human being’ who ‘got off on terrorising (female researchers)’.
Ms Ninness launched legal action against Burke’s company over alleged ‘sustained and systemic psychological abuse’. She eventually settled the case out of court.
Another researcher, who asked not to be named, said Burke bragged about groping women’s breasts as they smoked cigarettes on his production company’s rooftop.
He told her that his favourite part of cocktail parties was using name tags as an excuse to ‘grab women’s t*ts’ by pretending he couldn’t read them.
Then she claimed he grabbed her breasts hard and when she jumped back he insulted their size and said no one would want to touch them.
‘This was not a clumsy, oafish move. It was a calculated action. That is what was scary. It was premeditated,’ she told the Sydney Morning Herald.
Burke in response denied the entire incident ever occurred.
‘My staff and I regarded the CTC productions workplace as being a very safe workplace and I am very happy to provide female and male witnesses to affirm this,’ Mr Burke (pictured) said in a statement
Responding to the allegations, Mr Burke said he was ‘deeply hurt and outraged’.
‘It is evident that these baseless claims concern statements from a few ex-employees who bear grudges against me,’ he said.
Mr Burke said there was ‘bitter irony’ in the allegations because he ‘had life-long opposition to sexism and misogyny’.
Mr Burke called the allegations ‘false and defamatory’.
‘My staff and I regarded the CTC productions workplace as being a very safe workplace and I am very happy to provide female and male witnesses to affirm this,’ he said in a statement.
He complained the ‘untrue claims’ would ‘destroy’ his income for the rest of his life and prevent him from performing his ‘extensive charity work’.
Daily Mail Australia earlier revealed Mr Burke called in top defamation lawyer Patrick George, a senior partner at the law firm Kennedys Australia.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Mr George for further comment.