The man who Boy George chained to a wall in 2007 has spoken out against the star's involvement on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! 2022.
The 61-year-old popstar has reportedly signed one of the biggest-ever contracts with ITV to appear on the reality show down under and is set to earn a staggering $1million (£879,000). The Culture Club star first met Audun Carlsen, in 2007 when the hitmaker got in touch via a dating site and asked Audun to model items from his clothing range.
Carlsen, 43, admits he is haunted by his experience with George, who faced jail in 2009 for the incident. Speaking to the Mirror, he said: “I still see the monster that he is every time I see him. It’s hurtful that ITV give him that platform.”
The former model didn't mince his words when describing the 'monster' George, and added: “Had I been a woman and he did what he did, he would never have been given the platform. It’s hurtful that big organisations like ITV give him that platform.
“I think giving him this sort of platform and a record fee sends the wrong message to survivors of violence and abuse and is plain wrong.”
Boy George, real name George O’Dowd, admitted he was high on cocaine and having a psychotic episode at the time of the attack. He sought treatment afterwards and has been drug-free since.
George pleaded not guilty to false imprisonment and has always denied a court claim that he beat Audun with a chain but was convicted of assault and false imprisonment and jailed for 15 months. In 2017, George appeared on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories and broke down talking of the event.
He said: “I sent myself to prison. I told police why I did what I did. I was having a psychotic episode. I was a drug addict so I can’t say my reasons for doing it were founded in any way. But I told the truth. I have always denied beating the guy.”
George said in that interview he was the victim of homophobic attacks in jail and was beaten up for being gay. Carlsen has little sympathy for the star and added to the publication: “I still see the monster that he is every time I see him. He hasn’t changed.
"I’m not going to watch I’m A Celeb, and I love that show. I might watch him doing a Bushtucker Trial. But I won’t vote for him, I won’t participate. Being in there is too easy for him.
"When it gets scary he can say ‘I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here’. I couldn’t do that when I was chained to his wall.”
Retelling the story of the incident, the 43-year-old said: “He said he wanted to get milk. I heard him talking, I thought it was a neighbour. Then he asked me to come to the bedroom and there he was with another man.
“They jumped on me, kicked, dragged me along the floor. He handcuffed me to the wall and told the man to go, saying he’d deal with me from now on. The guy was there for 20 minutes. I was hooked to the wall for about half an hour. I was s*** scared.”
At the time Judge David Radford told the star at Snaresbrook Crown Court, that George acted with “gratuitous violence”, adding: “Whilst I accept Mr Carlsen’s physical injuries were not serious or permanent, there can be no doubt that your premeditated, callous and humiliating handcuffing and detention of Mr Carlsen shocked, degraded and traumatised him.”
George denied punching Carlsen or swinging a chain at him as he fled in his boxer shorts, trainers and a pair of handcuffs. After this, he has been in therapy for a decade and has been diagnosed with PTSD.
He says: “Every time I see him, I feel it all over again. I have a permanent back injury. Two or three times a year I get a slipped disc. I’ve not used dating sites since. I can’t meet anyone because I get too anxious. I get sceptical about people because I don’t know what their intentions are.”
George made a public apology in 2017 but Carlsen didn’t find it genuine and wants a personal apology. He adds: “I can always forgive, but it has to come from a truthful place.”
He adds: “I think he will be in control, calculating, he knows exactly what he is doing. But there will be times when the mask slips, when there’s no food, only cockroaches to eat. I think a person with a kind personality will win. He doesn’t deserve to be a winner.”
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! launches tonight at 9pm on ITV.
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