Michael Winner: Three actresses say the director demanded to see their naked breasts

One called the director a 'dirty old pervert’

Jack Shepherd
Monday 23 October 2017 14:46 BST
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Michael Winner poses at the British Soap Awards 2005
Michael Winner poses at the British Soap Awards 2005 (Getty)

In the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal, three women have come forward with claims director Michael Winner demanded to see their breasts.

Debbie Arnold (best known for playing April Branning on Eastenders), Cindy Marshall-Day, and another unnamed actress made the claims.

Speaking to the Sunday People, Arnold said Winner made the demands while she was auditioning for a role at his house.

"He asked me to take off my top, then my bra and told me to massage my breasts,” she told the publication.

"I asked him to repeat the question because I thought I was hearing things. I started walking away from the window and he asked me why.

"I told him I couldn't believe what he had said. I thought it was a joke so I was appalled when he repeated the question. I walked right up to him and told him, 'f*** off, you dirty old pervert’."

Marshall-Day made similar claims, saying the filmmaker — who died in 2013 — asked her to reveal her breasts in the 1980s. The third woman did as Winner asked while he smoked a cigar.

All three remained quiet about the incidents, not telling the police, but were encouraged to do so after numerous actresses made public allegations about Harvey Weinstein.

Weinstein has denied all allegations against him, the mogul reportedly saying from rehab that there’s a “conspiracy” against him.

Conversely, actors including Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Beckinsale, Lupita Nyong’o, and Angelina Jolie have all accused Weinstein of harassment, while Rose McGowan has accused him of rape.

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