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British model Bianca Gascoigne has revealed that she was groomed and sexually assaulted by the late Mohamed Al Fayed, the Egyptian businessman and former owner of Harrods. The 37-year-old, daughter of England football legend Paul Gascoigne, claims the abuse began when she worked for him as a teenager at Harrods, where she had been hired at the age of 16. 

On The UK Tonight, @BiancaGascoigne tells @skysarahjane she was groomed and sexually assaulted by Mohamed al Fayed when she worked at Harrods as a teenager.

⏰ Watch the full interview from 8pm
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📱 Watch live: https://t.co/tg8ZhR7hlo pic.twitter.com/4EqEpJWxwL

— Sky News (@SkyNews) October 22, 2024

 

In an emotional interview with Sarah-Jane Mee on *The UK Tonight*, Gascoigne recalled visiting Harrods as a child with her parents. She explained that Al Fayed had always been "charming" and had showered her family with gifts, creating a sense of safety around him. This trust would later make her feel vulnerable to his advances when she began working at the luxury department store.

 

 

However, what started as a comfortable working environment quickly took a dark turn. Gascoigne claims that during weekly meetings with Al Fayed, he would grope her and force her into unwanted kisses. Reflecting on the situation, she admitted she felt trapped and frightened. 

 

In one of the more harrowing accounts, Gascoigne recounted how Al Fayed offered her his Harrods Park Lane apartment to stay in the night before a flight. To her shock, he appeared at the apartment unannounced. "I was just gobsmacked, I was kind of very shell-shocked," she said. She described how he attempted to coerce her into sexual acts, but she managed to escape the situation, noting that knowing her parents might have saved her. "It was horrific," she said.

 

These revelations come as part of a wider investigation following a BBC documentary about allegations against Al Fayed. Since the documentary aired, 60 more accusations of sexual misconduct have been lodged against the businessman, adding to the 21 reports submitted to the police between 2005 and 2023. Al Fayed passed away last year at the age of 94.

Harrods has since acknowledged the allegations and stated that more than 250 individuals are part of a compensation process for those affected by Al Fayed's alleged misconduct. 

 

Gascoigne shared that she had initially joined Harrods as a shop floor worker, eventually landing her "dream" job as a fashion buyer. Despite her professional success, the shame and fear of losing her job prevented her from telling anyone what was happening, not even her parents. "I didn't want to bring embarrassment and shame," she confessed. She added that Al Fayed's influence over her professional life was one of the reasons she stayed silent. "He told me that if I would say anything that I would lose my job," Gascoigne explained. 

 

Gascoigne also revealed that Al Fayed would frequently criticize her father, taking advantage of Paul Gascoigne's well-known struggles with mental health and addiction. "[Al Fayed] used to tell me how much of a bad father my dad was because he used to come into the store drunk," she said, adding that he often referred to her father as "an embarrassment." Al Fayed allegedly manipulated her by positioning himself as a "father figure" and offering her a false sense of security.

 

After recently becoming a mother herself, Gascoigne has decided to speak out, inspired by other victims who have come forward. She said, "I feel like I have to do this, like I want to do this. I want to stand for the women and, you know, hopefully make any kind of change so that in the future my daughter won't have to go through something like this... and these predators won’t be able to get away with what they are getting away with."

 

When asked for comment, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood described the allegations as "horrifying," acknowledging the bravery of the women coming forward and the severity of the abuse they endured under Al Fayed's employment.

 

 

Based on a report from Sky News 2024-10-23