Bianca Gascoigne accuses Mohamed Al Fayed of grooming

Bianca Gascoigne has alleged that she was groomed and sexually assaulted by former Harrods boss Mohamed Al Fayed when she worked at the department store as a teenager.

The TV personality, who is the daughter of ex-England footballer Paul Gascoigne, was 16 years old at the time, and said Al Fayed would grope her and force her to kiss him.

She told Sky News that she did not speak out sooner because she did not want to bring “embarrassment and shame”.

Gascoigne’s comments come after Harrods confirmed to the BBC on Monday that more than 250 people were now in its process to settle compensation claims brought by women who allege historical sexual misconduct again Al Fayed.

Warning: this story contains details some may find distressing

The 37-year-old reality TV star and DJ told the broadcaster she used to visit the luxury department store with her parents when she was growing up, and described Fayed as “charming” and “personable”, saying he used to bring the family gifts.

“He used to tell me how much of a bad father my dad was, because he used to come into the store drunk,” she said.

“He used to tell me that he was an embarrassment, that I should look to him as a father figure.”

She added she felt a “false sense of security with him early doors”.

Gascoigne joined Harrods as a shop floor worker but was later promoted to her “dream ” job of becoming a fashion buyer.

But she said Al Fayed would grope her and force her to kiss him during their weekly meetings.

On one occasion, Gascoigne was offered the opportunity to stay in the Harrods Park Lane apartment before an early morning work flight.

But when Al Fayed turned up at the apartment, she said she was “gobsmacked”, “shell-shocked” and did not know what to do.

“He came in, and then he sat me down on the sofa and was obviously very forceful with the touching and the kissing,” she said.

“He got his privates out and got my hand and was trying to manoeuvre it on his parts, and when that didn’t work, he was trying to force my head on his lap.”

She said she managed to “wiggle away” and the encounter was “horrific”.

She thinks Al Fayed knowing who her parents were was what saved her in the moment.

“He was doing all these things to me and I was close to people that he knew, and I felt like I couldn’t even tell them either because I didn’t want to bring embarrassment and shame,” she said, adding that not even her mum and dad knew what was going on.

Gascoigne said she was also scared of losing her job, and that Al Fayed had warned her that she would if she said anything.

Gascoigne, who gave birth to a daughter last year, said she was compelled to talk about her experience after several victims went public with their stories of abuse at the hands of Al Fayed.

“I feel like I have to do this, I want to do this, and I want to stand for the women and just hopefully make any kind of change (so) that in the future, my daughter wouldn’t have to go through something like this,” she said.

Lawyers from the Justice for Harrods Survivors group, who represent the accusers of the former Harrods boss, have praised Gascoigne for her bravery, adding they are “proud to represent her and our other survivors as we move forward together in our quest for justice”.

The BBC has approached Gascoigne for further comment.

Al Fayed, who died last year aged 94, is accused of sexual misconduct by several women who worked for him – many of whom felt unable to report what had happened until recently.

At the time of many of the alleged attacks, the billionaire businessman was the owner of Harrods, the Ritz Paris hotel and football club Fulham FC.

The BBC heard testimony from more than 20 female ex-employees at Harrods during its investigation for the documentary and podcast – Al Fayed: Predator at Harrods.

The documentary, which aired last month, claimed that during Fayed’s ownership, Harrods not only failed to intervene but helped cover up abuse allegations.

Responding to the investigation, Harrods’ current owners said they were “utterly appalled” by the allegations and that his victims had been failed – for which the store sincerely apologised.

If you are affected by issues of sexual assault you can contact the BBC Action Line here.