Channel 4 newsreader Cathy Newman has disclosed that she was sexually harassed as a teenager at Charterhouse, one of Britain's leading public schools. In an interview with The Sunday Times, Newman recounted incidents from the early 1990s when she was 16 and had just joined the Surrey school's sixth form on a scholarship.
Newman described one incident where a boy 'unzipped his flies and grabbed my hand and forced me to touch his penis.' She also said boys would spray her with water from a fire hose to see her underwear through her wet clothes. She expressed regret for not reporting the abuse at the time, stating, 'I didn't talk to anyone about it [for years].'
The 44-year-old journalist is part of a campaign by the charity the Diana Award, launching on Monday, which encourages pupils to speak out against bullying. The campaign includes videos from over 20 personalities reliving their childhood torment. Newman recalled being teased as a 'little girly swot' and being self-conscious about her teeth.
Charterhouse, which now charges £40,000 a year for boarders, said it was unaware of the allegations and has reported them to police. Newman noted that her experiences at school contributed to her lack of confidence and later shaped her journalistic career, where she has highlighted sexism in Westminster.
