Don Burke is worried the harassment accusations against him will cause him to lose thousands of dollars in potential income from after-dinner speeches and endorsement deals.
The 70-year-old former host of Burke’s Backyard was pulled from the Celebrity Speakers website as several former producers alleged he had behaved inappropriately towards them.
The embattled television celebrity, whose show won six Logie awards and saw him bestowed with an Order of Australia medal, has now raised concerns about losing lucrative speaking engagements.
The former host of Burke’s Backyard said the Nine Network had made no offer to him for TV
‘These untrue claims will also destroy my income for the rest of my life,’ Burke said in a statement to Fairfax Media.
‘Already these mischievous claims have led to some thousands of dollars of cancellations of appearances.’
Burke, who hosted a top-rating program from 1987 to 2004, confirmed to A Current Affair his former Nine Network employer was no longer interested in reviving his television career next year.
‘I’ve not had any discussions with Nine. Nine have offered me nothing,’ he said.
The 70-year-old former TV personality is worried the claims will hurt his financial earnings
‘I’m really happy to be out of television. I want to settle back to a life that is more boring, more ordinary where I can look after my wife.’
Burke’s wife of almost 50 years Marea, who is battling cancer, is credited with being the brains behind his media empire, which has seen his business earn up to $7 million a year.
A Nine spokesman confirmed the network had no plans to put him back on air.
‘We were not in discussions with him, he has done some occasional segments on [A Current Affair] around gardening, most recently for spring in September, but he is not going to be on air in 2018,’ he told The Sydney Morning Herald.
Several corporations listed on Burke’s CTC Productions website have distanced themselves from the former TV star, including RAMS, Foxtel and Unilever.
A RAMS spokeswoman said the loan broker had not had a relationship with CTC Productions or Burke for five years.
And a Unilever Australia spokeswoman said the company was ‘surprised’ to see itself listed on the CTC Productions website as ‘we no longer have any association with Don Burke or his company’.
‘Like many brands, we advertised with Burke’s Backyard more than 14 years ago and were not aware of any sexual harassment allegations at this time,’ she told Fairfax.
‘We are deeply disturbed to hear of these allegations and we actively stand against any form of harassment towards women or men. We have no plans to utilise CTC’s production services in the future.’
Former Burke’s Backyard host Don Burke faces losing lucrative commercial deals
Both German publisher Bauer Media and Foxtel, also listed on the website, declined to comment – but Fairfax Media said neither company had dealt with CTC Productions for many years.
Air-conditioning company ActronAir was also mentioned on the website list, and a spokesman for the company said it was ‘shocked to learn of the accusations levelled against Don Burke for his reported behaviour’.
‘The conduct he stands accused of flies in the face of everything we believe in, and we are extremely disappointed to be associated with his conduct in any way,’ he told Fairfax.