Simon Cowell issues statement after Lucy Spraggan goes public over rape ordeal
Simon Cowell has spoken out after Lucy Spraggan opened up about being sexually assaulted by a hotel porter.
The singer-songwriter who found fame on The X Factor in 2012 had been enjoying a night out with pal Rylan at Mahiki, a swanky bar in Mayfair before she returned to her hotel. Lucy, 31, was taken to her hotel by a member of The X Factor's production team and a member of staff at the hotel offered to take her to her room.
The porter then flipped the security latch on her door as they left to prevent it from locking behind them. Later in the evening, Rylan checked on his pal to make sure the room was locked but the porter used a traceable keycard to unlock the door to gain access.
Lucy's attacker was arrested and was subsequently jailed for ten years.
In a raw and candid interview with The Guardian, the star who is set to release her own memoir, Process: Finding My Way Through, she said: "I woke up the next day with this sense of sheer dread. I don't think I've ever felt that level of confusion since. I knew that I'd been raped, but I could not process that. So I put my clothes on and went into autopilot."
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Simon Cowell has apologised to Lucy Spraggan after hearing that she had been raped by a hotel porter (America's Got Talent/Youtube)Simon Cowell, who now works alongside Lucy, has offered an emotional apology on hearing what happened after she went public about her traumatic ordeal, saying: "What happened to Lucy was horrific and heartbreaking. When I was given the opportunity to speak to Lucy, I was able to personally tell her how sorry I was about everything she has been through.
"Although we met under tragic circumstances, a genuine friendship and a mutual respect has developed between us. Lucy is one of the most authentic, talented, and brave people I have ever met. Since we connected, I have had the honour to work with Lucy and I have always supported her wish to tell her story, as well as her efforts to bring about positive change."
Earlier this week, Lucy appeared on BBC Breakfast and revealed that she believed Simon and his production team would have the "most aggressive" response to her news.
Lucy who is releasing her own memoir recalled the sexual assault happening when she was on The X Factor (Instagram)
The Everything Changes (Beer Fear Pt. II) singer's attacker was jailed for ten years (Mike Marsland/WireImage)Through tears, the singer recalled Simon's response when he picked up the phone, saying: "'Lucy, before you or I say anything else, the first thing I need to tell you is that I am sorry'." She burst into tears as she went on to say: "It makes me emotional...because no one else said sorry. He wasn't even on [the show during] my year – he wasn't even a judge – and he as a human being gave me everything I needed in two words."
Following her painful ordeal, Lucy went on to tell The Guardian: "No one ever contacted me to ask if I was OK. No one called or emailed when the trial was over and he was convicted. No one offered me rehabilitation or ongoing mental health treatment. I was on my own."
A spokesperson for Freemantle who produced the former talent show said: "The serious sexual assault suffered by Lucy Spraggan in October 2012 was a truly horrific criminal act for which the perpetrator, who was not connected with the programme, was rightfully prosecuted and imprisoned. Anyone should feel safe when they are sleeping in a hotel room - and it is abhorrent to think that a hotel porter abused that trust in such a vile way.
Spraggan became emotional as she recalled the horrific ordeal on BBC Breakfast (BBC)"To our knowledge, the assault was an event without precedent in the UK television industry. Whilst we believed throughout that we were doing our best to support Lucy in the aftermath of the ordeal, as Lucy thinks we could have done more, we must therefore recognise this. For everything Lucy has suffered, we are extremely sorry.
"Since then, we have done our very best to learn lessons from these events and improve our aftercare processes. Whilst we have worked hard to try and protect Lucy's lifetime right to anonymity, we applaud her strength and bravery now that she has chosen to waive that right."
Meanwhile, ITV said: "We have the deepest compassion for Lucy and everything she has endured as a result of this horrific ordeal. We commend her resilience and bravery. The X Factor was produced by Thames and Syco, who were primarily responsible for duty of care towards all of its programme contributors.
"ITV as a commissioning broadcaster is committed to having in place suitable and robust oversight procedures, with a view to ensuring that independent producers employ the correct processes to protect the mental health and welfare of participants. We have evolved and improved these oversight procedures since the events in question and we are encouraged to hear that Thames recognises the importance of continuous review and improvement of their own processes.
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"We continue to evolve our own duty of care processes on programmes we produce to ensure that there are appropriate measures in place to support contributors before, during and after filming. In an event of such a distressing nature, welfare and support towards the victim would always be of the utmost priority."
If you've been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999
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