Women’s Aid have urged the show’s producers “to consider how they approach this”.
Women’s Aid has issued a response to the inclusion of Gary Goldsmith in ITV’s new season of Celebrity Big Brother.
The line-up for the rebooted show was unveiled earlier this week, with housemates entering into the house for the first time. Goldsmith, who is a businessman and maternal uncle of Catherine, Princess of Wales, pleaded guilty to assaulting his wife in 2017.
Issuing a statement on Goldsmith’s inclusion in the popular reality show, Women’s Aid wrote: “The decision to include a man who has been charged, and pleaded guilty to, assaulting his wife, in the Celebrity Big Brother house demonstrates the lack of awareness that the production team has when it comes to survivors of domestic abuse.
“The producers should consider how Gary Goldsmith’s appearance will impact women who have survived domestic abuse and how they will feel watching him on TV every night.
“At Women’s Aid we would urge the producers to consider how they approach this, as for many survivors of abuse, the inclusion of men convicted of abuse in entertainment programmes will already be a sign that these crimes are not taken seriously – the entertainment industry has to consider the impact on women of who they give a platform to and derive entertainment value from.”
Goldsmith was fined £5,000 for beating his wife Julie-Ann Goldsmith in an argument outside their Central London home in 2017.
When approached by RadioTimes.com for comment, a Big Brother spokesperson said: “All housemates undertake training in language and behaviour before entering the Big Brother house. All behaviour in the house is strictly monitored at all times.”
ITV also shared a previous statement from Goldsmith expressing his regret over the incident, saying: “I’m not perfect and I made a mistake, a personal row seven years ago which was publicly exposed that I’ve worked endlessly for seven years to put right. The offence is long since spent however my regret continues.”
At the time of his sentencing, Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot said: “Both had been drinking and the taxi driver listened as you argued. Your wife accused you of taking drugs and leaving her alone for most of the evening. You called her a nothing and whore.”
In her victim impact statement, Julie-Ann Goldsmith admitted that she had been left feeling “extremely anxious and very stressed, and suffering panic attacks” after the incident.
Read more:
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Now in the Celebrity Big Brother House, Goldsmith is joined by Louis Walsh, Sharon Osbourne, Fern Britton and Levi Roots, plus more. So far, Goldsmith has opened up to Walsh about his royal niece, saying: “I didn’t vote for it, it happened to me, and then suddenly there’s a spotlight on you.
“They call me the buncle! Have you heard of a buncle? Bad uncle. Apparently every family has them.”
Celebrity Big Brother continues at 9pm on ITV1, STV, ITVX and STV Player.
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