Former British entertainer Bonnie Lythgoe defends ex-husband Nigel Lythgoe after sexual assault allegations
British entertainer Bonnie Lythgoe has backed reality star ex-husband Nigel amid allegations he sexually assaulted singer Paula Abdul on America’s So You Think You Can Dance.
Confidential
Don't miss out on the headlines from Confidential. Followed categories will be added to My News.
British entertainer Bonnie Lythgoe has backed reality star ex-husband Nigel amid allegations he sexually assaulted singer Paula Abdul on America’s So You Think You Can Dance.
Bonnie, who appeared on Australia’s I’m A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here a few years ago, said she learnt of the accusations watching breakfast television.
“All I can say to you is Paula Abdul was a friend of the family, of Nigel and myself, and I have racked my brain honestly to see ... was there anything I saw?” Bonnie told The Daily Telegraph.
“And I honestly didn’t. Normally as a wife or a girlfriend or a boyfriend, whatever, if there is something, you sense it but I never saw anything.”
Bonnie and Nigel were married for 31 years before splitting.
The pair were married for 31 years and divorced in 2010 and have two adult sons together, Simon and Kris.
She is an acclaimed former professional dancer who has worked with the British royals and he is most famous internationally for his time as a judge and creator of the So You Think You Can Dance reality format in the US.
Abdul, 61, sat on the judging panel with Nigel, Jason Derulo and Maddie Ziegler for two seasons.
Nigel stood down from his work on the show earlier this year after several lawsuits accused him of sexual assault, including one from Opposites Attract Grammy Award winning singer.
No criminal charges have been laid and Nigel has denied the allegations.
He also worked as a producer and director on shows including Pop Idol, Survivor and Gladiators.
Abdul’s case will be heard by an LA Superior Court judge on July 28, 2025.
In her lawsuit, Abdul accused Nigel of assaulting her when she was a judge on American Idol in the early 2000s. She has claimed that during one of the early seasons of American Idol, Nigel shoved her against the wall of a hotel elevator, grabbed her genitalia and breasts and began “shoving his tongue down her throat”. Abdul said in the lawsuit that she tried to push Lythgoe away, and that when the elevator doors opened, she ran to her hotel room and called one of her representatives in tears.”
In response, speaking to the Telegraph, Bonnie said: “I can honestly say, Nigel is devastated and ... I’m just so behind him every step of the way, I really am,” Bonnie said.
“She (Abdul) is a friend of the family and worse than that and I think not everybody understands this sometimes, it has really hurt my sons. Kristopher and Simon are both devastated and just don’t know what to say about it. Without question, I will support Nigel because I can’t believe in my heart of hearts that this has happened, that he has been accused of molesting Paula Abdul. I can’t see it. If it does go to court, I can only say the truth.”
Bonnie spoke of her relationship with Nigel when a contestant on Ten’s I’m A Celebrity in 2016. At the time, she told campmates her ex wanted her back.
“He wasn’t going to give up, he wants me back,” Lythgoe said. “I was very unhappy. There were so many things. Nigel was away a lot. There was just hurt on top of hurt on top of hurt and it all compressed. Sometimes because Nigel is very successful at everything he does, it was all about Nigel. I was Mrs Cellophane; you could look right through me. Although I had a very professional, great job, it was never about mine, it was always about him and his job and his everything.”
Bonnie has long referred to Australia as her second home, even owning property here.
As well as her TV work, she is known for her work on the stage, in particular for bringing iconic British pantomime to Australia.
In September, she will celebrate the 10 year anniversary of bringing panto to Australia with a new season of Snow White.
Casting is yet to be announced although Sir Cliff Richard, Magda Szubanski and Kyle Sandilands were in the first tour of the production Bonnie brought here in 2014.
The latest show will open at Riverside Theatre in Parramatta on September 7.
“The first time we had panto in America, I think it was Cinderella, they cheered the baddie when you’re supposed to boo. It really did take them a while to understand that and I am not sure they still understand having a dame that is a guy. sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t,” she said of pantomime as a genre. “England and Australia just got it. It was much easier for me, funnily enough, to bring it to Australia than it was ever to America.”
Do you have a story for The Daily Telegraph? Message 0481 056 618 or email tips@dailytelegraph.com.au
Join the conversation
Meet the ‘real’ Real Housewives of Sydney
You won’t see their faces on the juggernaut Real Housewives franchises seen across the world. But they run in the same circles as those who star on the reality show, and likely turned offers to join it down.
Read more
PR guru found dead in his inner Sydney unit
Friends and clients have begun paying tribute to “a hugely loved person” after PR guru and talent expert Jai Evans was found dead in his inner Sydney apartment.
Read more