Note: The following article contains discussion of sexual misconduct.
BBC Breakfast presenter Naga Munchetty has recalled the horrifying ordeal she suffered while using public transport, which led the journalist to punching a teenager in the face.
The journalist, who has been a presenter on the news series since 2014, spoke with Daily Mail about an incident during her adolescent years in which she was groped while disembarking a train.
"Two young boys were there. They were probably about 15 or 16 and they were near the door as I went to get off," she recalled. "And they grabbed my bottom, pinched it, and I turned around and punched one of those boys and swore at them.
"I’m not saying that was right, but it was an instant reaction. And then, straight away after, was the fear that I was a woman on my own only a few years older than them and what would happen next.
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"I was fortunate enough that it shocked them and I was getting off the train and I was comforted by that. If I had been staying on the train I don’t know – I don’t think I would have wanted to be confronted by them."
Munchetty, who has also appeared on Strictly Come Dancing and Celebrity Mastermind, authored a book earlier this year, with It's Probably Nothing looking at the challenges that women have faced in getting medical treatment.
"It’s Probably Nothing is an exploration of the wide range of healthcare difficulties women face," wrote the presenter on X in December. "In it, I share my own experiences as well as those of many others, speaking to doctors and experts every step of the way."
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"Drawing on her own experience of being dismissed, undiagnosed and misdiagnosed, Naga Munchetty explores the devastating outcome of decades of ingrained medical misogyny," reads the synopsis for the book (via Amazon), which was released in May.
"She hears from dozens of women and their loved ones who have sought care only to be told that their symptoms are normal or all in their head. These testimonies highlight the consequences of not being heard, which has left so many living in pain, with chronic and life-changing conditions."
If you've been affected by the issues raised in this story, you can access more information from Rape Crisis England and Wales, which works towards the elimination of all forms of sexual violence and sexual misconduct, on its website or by calling the National Rape Crisis Helpline on 0808 802 9999. Rape Crisis Scotland’s helpline number is 08088 01 03 02.
Readers in the US are encouraged to contact RAINN, or the National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800-656-4673.
Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.
