STRICTLY star Nick Knowles said women in the North East were “munters” in a sleazy chat with a young charity worker, it was claimed last night.
The TV favourite, 62, allegedly made a string of lewd and offensive remarks to the woman and ogled her breasts while filming BBC show DIY SOS: The Big Build.
It left the 33-year-old support worker feeling embarrassed and mortified, she claimed.
The mum of one said she was interviewed by Knowles in 2018 for an episode of the show about a home renovation for a young blind girl with a genetic disorder.
She claims he turned up late after boozing the night before — and later kipped in a van.
Knowles was said to have been hung over, looked worse for wear and stank of stale booze and cigarettes after partying at North Shields Fish Quay.
When the then 26-year-old dropped her microphone down her blouse, the star allegedly said: “It’s a shame that’s not a camera.”
And while recounting his big night out, she claims he branded the women of North Shields “munters”, and said she was the “first good-looking woman he had seen” while in the North East.
She told The Sun: “I was mortified. He humiliated me in a very personal way in front of the whole crew. It was offensive. He was in his late 50s. He was being so inappropriate and I felt belittled.
“I had been looking forward to meeting him and he ruined the whole experience for me.”
The woman, who has asked not to be identified, said she did not challenge him at the time. She said: “I remember just laughing along and feeling awkward. There were other people around and everyone was there to do a good deed for a little girl. I didn’t want to spoil that special moment.”
The woman, who posed for a photo with the star, said he did not touch her or make a pass.
She said once cameras were rolling, he suddenly transformed into showman mode.
She said: “On camera, he comes across as a nice, sensitive guy, but from my experience he is a very different person in real life.”
The star saw she was wearing an engagement ring and allegedly tried to talk her out of getting wed, saying it had not worked for him.
She said she decided to speak out after watching Knowles on Strictly with dance pro Luba Mushtuk, saying: “It made me so angry seeing him dancing around.”
PR guru Claire Barber said: “Saying that about North East women is a reflection on his values on women as a whole.”
The BBC declined to comment but said it is “against all inappropriate behaviour and have robust processes if issues are raised”.
Last night, Knowles said he had encountered hundreds of people in the course of his work and cannot be expected to remember what he has said to everyone he has met.
