Former TOWIE star Dan Osborne remains in the Celebrity Big Brother house; here's what you need to know about the 2015 domestic violence allegations against him, as previously reported...
UPDATE: Dan Osborne's ex's brother, Remzi Tomlin (called 'your gay brother' by Dan on the tapes Megan's recorded) has also said how threatening Dan has been: 'He’s hurt my sister so much. On Teddy’s first birthday he threatened to smash her phone,' he toldStar.
Meanwhile, Dan's now-girlfriend, Jacqueline Jossa has attested to the TOWIE star's innocence, tweeting : 'I can assure you I wouldn’t stand by a man capable of everything Dan has been made out to be, he is my best friend, boyfriend...
'And he is a brilliant father, above all else, I just want to clear up, he has never once been violent or even shown signs towards me at all.'
Jeremy Clarkson rakes money in for the BBC like no-one else. So we get why him getting the axe from Top Gear has drawn attention. But if we’re going to be alarmed by the behaviour of one entitled bloke on TV, we should also be able to cast our eyes upon The Only Way Is Essex’s Dan Osborne, who’s allegedly threatened to hospitalise his ex in a new recording released this weekend.
Here’s the background: Dan is a TOWIE star who used to go out with primary school teacher Megan Tomlin. They have a son, Teddy, who’s about 14 months old. Before Teddy was even born, Dan started dating EastEnders’ Jacqueline Jossa. They now also have a baby, Ella, who’s just weeks old. They upload happy-cute Instagram photos of her and she’s already appeared on TOWIE, in her father’s arms.
It’s complicated, but you get the idea Dan has moved on from Megan and that Megan will be free to do likewise. Well, not under Dan’s watch.
In a previous recording given toThe Sun, Dan was heard telling Megan, ‘The minute another man’s penis goes inside you, I will stick a knife up your *****.’
READ MORE: Big Brother's Got Us All Talking About Consent, And That's A Great Thing
And this is what he allegedly said in a new recording released toThe Sun this weekend:
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After Megan said it’s ‘funny’ that he can have a baby with someone else, but she can’t move on, he replied, ‘It won’t be funny when you’re in hospital.’
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‘As long as you’ve got my son, you’re a part of my property.’
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‘You’re making [Teddy, who you can hear in the room] cry because you’re a fucking slut.’
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‘Shut your fucking mouth you fucking slut,’ after which a big movement can be heard, and Megan can be heard crying, ‘Don’t start hitting me or I’ll start going mad.’
His response?
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‘If you go near another man I promise you I will stab you in the fucking throat. I swear on this boys’ life I will end your fucking life if you shag another man’ She replies, ‘You can’t threaten me, Dan, so just stop.’
His response?
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‘It’s not a threat, it’s a promise.’
READ MORE: Why Are We Still So Surprised That 50 Shades Inspires Domestic Abuse?
The argument with Megan seems to stem from the fact Dan thinks he won’t be allowed to see his son should Megan move on. It doesn’t quite seem logical that he should threaten violence against Teddy’s mum to get better access to his son, nor does it seem logical that Dan should feel entitled to Megan. But domestic abuse isn’t logical.
Dan has previously made an apology for what was heard on the first set of tapes, saying, ‘I am unable to talk about the difficulties with my current family situation but I am taking steps to resolve it to achieve the best outcome for my son.’
He also said, ‘I had no intention of violence…m I’m not a violent person capable of anything like this. My words were said in anger and desperation at a very difficult time.’
That ‘promise’ of his, though – what are we to make of it when two women every week are killed by a partners or ex-partner? What are we to think of it when one in five young men and one in 10 young women think abuse or violence against women is acceptable? When the prevalence of domestic violence is greater among young women under 24 (Megan is just 22)?
READ MORE: The Comments On This Domestic Violence Video Show Why We Need To Keep Talking About It
Dan was arrested in November on suspicion of assault of Megan and released without charge, but police are investigating his alleged ‘historic’ domestic abuse (he’s 23, we don’t really know what ‘historic’ could possibly mean in this context).
Dan had been suspended from TOWIE after the first tape emerged, and a spokesperson for ITV2 told The Sun, ‘Dan has not been on the show for several weeks and there are no plans for him to return.’
But as TOWIE’s storylines dry up into little more than sideways man-thongs and endless primping of eyelashes, a mere TV side-project for their now Instagram-famous ‘stars’, who’ll thrive with or without the show, you do wonder how else the show could take this on. Weight, beauty and other ‘women’s issues’ are discussed on the programme, but what if the producers took this opportunity to tackle an issue of controlling, angry young men that is affecting so many young people it’s affecting its own stars? TOWIE promises reality, now it’s time for it to get real.
You might also be interested in:
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Follow Sophie on Twitter @sophwilkinson
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.