Lucy Spraggan praises ‘angel’ Rylan Clark for his support after she was raped during The X Factor
"He was unbelievable" says Lucy of her supportive friend.
Lucy Spraggan has publicly praised her former X Factor co-star Rylan Clark for his support after she was raped by an unnamed man while on the show.
Rylan and Lucy competed on the 2012 series of the show, with Lucy finishing in ninth place and Rylan fifth.
Lucy, 31, revealed over the weekend that she was raped by a hotel porter during her time on the programme.
“He let himself into my room”
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, she said the attack occurred after Rylan’s 25th birthday at the London nightclub Mahiki. Lucy, who was 20 at the time, was unconscious after drinking alcohol at the party.
“The hotel porter that had offered his help to get me up to bed… got a key card, let himself into my room and raped me,” she told the broadcaster.
Sharing that Rylan was the first person she told about the attack, she called the This Morning star “an angel” for his support. “He was unbelievable,” she added.
In 2013, the porter pleaded guilty to the rape and received a 10-year prison sentence.
Lucy, who says she did not receive enough support from the makers of The X Factor after the attack, left the show shortly after.
“I remember sort of having to peel myself away from jumping off the balcony,” she said. “Like having to consciously do that.” The star has since suffered with mental health and substance abuse issues. She has now been sober for almost four years.
“Extremely sorry”
The X Factor producers Freemantle said in a statement: “Whilst we believed throughout that we were doing our best to support Lucy, as Lucy thinks we could have done more, we must therefore recognise this. For everything Lucy has suffered, we are extremely sorry.” ITV said it has “the deepest compassion for Lucy.”
Lucy elaborates on her experiences on The X Factor and in the music industry in her upcoming memoir Process: Finding My Way Through.