The BBC presenter accused of paying a teenager for sexually explicit images reportedly called them after the story broke.
It was initially reported by The Sun that the allegations had been made against a male member of BBC staff.
The corporation has now confirmed that the person – who has not been named – has been suspended.
READ MORE: BBC to hold urgent talks after ‘deeply concerning’ sex pic claims against star
The publication has since said that after the claims were revealed the presenter called the young person, who is now 20, twice.
He apparently asked what they had done.
And he is also reported to have asked them to ask their mother to “stop the investigation”.
The presenter is alleged to have paid thousands of pounds to the person since they were 17 in exchange for images.
In a statement, the BBC said that it “takes any allegations seriously” and has “robust internal processes in place to proactively deal with such allegations”.
“This is a complex and fast moving set of circumstances and the BBC is working as quickly as possible to establish the facts in order to properly inform appropriate next steps,” the statement said.
It said the BBC first became aware of a complaint in May.
“New allegations were put to us on Thursday of a different nature and in addition to our own enquiries we have also been in touch with external authorities, in line with our protocols,” it continued.
(Image: Getty Images)
“We can also confirm a male member of staff has been suspended.”
Several stars have come forward to make it clear that they are not the BBC presenter, including Rylan, Jeremy Vine and Gary Lineker.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
