3AW’s Dee Dee denies ‘victim blaming’

3AW's Dee Dee Dunleavy has had to clarify comments she made in her blog regarding the apparent assualt on celebrity chef Nigella Lawson by her husband.

In the blog she said: "Nigella, like it or not, you're a beacon for women from all walks of life. If you want us to buy your books and watch your shows on how to run our kitchens, then we need you to make a stand on domestic violence."

Dee Dee has now issued a statement to clarify, saying:

"…I was not calling for a boycott of Nigella’s books. Clearly, I didn’t make my point well. My point was that Nigella is, by her own making, an admired public figure. She has become this by having successful cooking shows and books, and as such she has our attention. We are watching for her reaction. I believe that she should file a complaint with police."

"I will make a point of learning more about domestic violence today so that in future, if I speak on the issue again, I am well informed."

"I am mortified that anyone would think I was bullying or victimising Nigella Lawson, a woman I admire enormously."

Dee Dee also appeared on Neil Mitchell's program to clear the air :-

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DEE DEE's FULL BLOG POST

It’s hard to look a the photos of Nigella Lawson, her eyes wide with panic, her husband Charles Saatchi’s hand wrapped around her throat, without feeling revulsion and disbelief.

The ‘Domestic Goddess’ is not flirty and fun as fans of her cooking shows know her, but fearful, on the front page of the UK’s Sunday People.

How could this happen in such a public place as Scott’s restaurant, a known celebrity hangout in London’s Mayfair?

We don’t trust the tabloid press, so could these photos have been misrepresented and the couple were just play acting some bizarre scene? The shots of a distraught Nigella leaving in tears soon after the incident would appear to discount that theory. What happened clearly left her shaken.

And Saatchi has form. In December last year, the Daily Mail published pictures of the couple involved in an animated discussion, again in a restaurant. At one point he silences her by smothering her mouth with his hand, sickeningly described by the newspaper as ‘playful’.

The most recent incident raises a couple of questions: why did the photographer and fellow diners not intervene or call the police? An ‘onlooker’ is quoted in the article as saying: “It was utterly shocking to watch. I have no doubt she was scared. It was horrific, really.”

And yet they apparently did nothing to stop the attack.

Why, at about the same time the pictures went viral on the internet, did Nigella post a picture of a buttered, toasted bagel on her official Twitter page, as though nothing else was on her mind but food?

That’s not the response we were after, Nigella. We think you are strong, beautiful and successful. We imagine your home is warm and smells of cinnamon, and if we dropped in we’d get a hug and a feed.

We don’t like to think of you cowering from a thug. A man so boldly abusive he had no qualms about attacking you in public.

Nigella, like it or not, you’re a beacon for women from all walks of life. If you want us to buy your books and watch your shows on how to run our kitchens, then we need you to make a stand on domestic violence.

DEE DEE's CLARIFICATION

First and foremost, my wish for Nigella Lawson is that she is safe and well, and as far away from her beastly husband as possible.

The fact that I have copped a torrent of abuse today for urging her to take a stand against domestic violence pales into insignificance compared to what she must be going through. But I must address some points that have been raised.

I would like to make an important clarification. I was not calling for a boycott of Nigella’s books. Clearly, I didn’t make my point well. My point was that Nigella is, by her own making, an admired public figure. She has become this by having successful cooking shows and books, and as such she has our attention.  We are watching for her reaction. I believe that she should file a complaint with police.

We have seen the incredible good that can come of a celebrity taking a stand on an issue, Olivia Newton- John, for instance, campaigning for women to have breast checks after dealing with breast cancer herself.

Nigella Lawson is not obliged to become a domestic violence campaigner.  Her safety and that of her children is paramount at the moment.  But I hope that in the fullness of time she will consider doing so.

I have lived through the nightmare of domestic violence with a very close friend. We were young and did not know how to deal with it. Nobody spoke of it at the time. We had no example to follow.

I will make a point of learning more about domestic violence today so that in future, if I speak on the issue again, I am well informed.

I am mortified that anyone would think I was bullying or victimising Nigella Lawson, a woman I admire enormously.