Don Burke ‘hooked his legs around mine and tried to push me on to bed’, says interviewee

A FASHION designer says Don Burke came up behind her and attempted to force her on to a bed in an incident that left her traumatised.

TV PRESENTER Don Burke tried to push a fashion designer on to a bed during an interview at her home that left her traumatised, the woman has alleged.

Julie Neilson said that from the moment the Burke’s Backyard star came through her door, he began making sexual comments and harassing her.

“He stepped inside and said ‘G’day Jules, I bet you could shock a bad boy. Do you take it up the arse or what?’” the gifted decorator told A Current Affair.

This comment was put to Burke when he appeared on ACA and he denied it. He also strongly denies all claims of sexual harassment and bullying, which he said were made because people didn’t like him.

Julie alleged Burke kept hassling her to put on a minidress she had made, even after she refused. “He must have said it 10 or 15 times — ‘put the dress on, put the dress on, put the dress on.’ He insisted so much that I went into the bedroom and put the dress on.”

Burke denied all the allegations of sexual harassment and bullying on A Current Affair. Picture: ACA/ Channel 9.

Julie said Burke tried to force her on to a bed.

In a break during filming, the interviewee alleged the TV star tried to push her on to the bed, and she had to force him off. “When I was standing at the end of the bed talking about this and the other, Don came up behind me and hooked his legs around my legs and pushed me in the small of my back about five or six times, trying to get me on the bed.

“I don’t know what would have happened if he’d gotten me on the bed.

“By this stage, I’d pretty much told him to f*** off, because I knew, when somebody puts their hands on you and pushes you ...

“It was just disgusting, you wouldn’t accept that behaviour from anyone — I’d only known him for half an hour and he was just full on, he was a real bully.”

Julie said Burke also invited her to Crown Towers in Melbourne with him and his crew, to “have a gang bang”.

She said the experience made her give up her dreams of presenting and she has suffered anxiety issues ever since.

Her allegations come as another woman, former TV journalist Amanda Pepe, alleged Burke tried to make her have sex with him in a hotel room.

Burke was temporarily banned by Qantas from flying in the 1990s, A Current Affair reported. The star — who has been hit with multiple allegations of sexual misconduct — was slapped with the flight ban after he allegedly behaved inappropriately towards staff.

The news emerged as more women came forward to accuse the former Channel Nine star of sexual harassment.

ACA reporter Alison Piotrowski says Don Burke sexually harassed her.

ACA reporter Alison Piotrowski told Tracy Grimshaw she allegedly fell victim to Burke while working as a producer at Sydney radio station 2UE.

Piotrowski told Grimshaw she “worked a couple of shifts with Don” who was filling in for her regular host.

“The last time was at an outside broadcast at the Easter Show. I got held up at security, I was late and by the time I arrived, Don tore shreds off me for being late.

“But then half an hour later, he came up to me and said all was forgiven because I had a great ass.

“I later reported it to the management as inappropriate and was told that I didn’t have to work with him anymore.

“But I certainly wasn’t the only young female producer who was put in a position like this.

Management at radio station 2UE failed to discipline the star, it has been claimed.

“There were plenty of other girls who went through far more confronting experiences at 2UE compared to what I experienced.”

Piotrowski said the constant reports led to a practice at the radio station where women who made complaints about Burke would not be forced to work with him.

“While we were afforded that opportunity, at no point did I ever witness management disciplining Don,” Piotrowski said.

Piotrowski said she had spoken to former colleagues today and that they were angry “they had been put in such a position at such a vulnerable point in their career”.

Burke continues to deny the allegations made against him.