Julio Iglesias has broken his silence after two women have come forward to accuse the singer of violent behavior at work.
The Spanish singer has sold over 300 million records worldwide and collaborated with Frank Sinatra, Sting, and Dolly Parton. He is also the father of famous pop star Enrique Iglesias.
The accusations against the 82-year-old, made in reports by Spanish news site elDiario.es and US outlet Univision, are being investigated by Spain's judiciary.
Highlights
- Spanish singer Julio Iglesias is under investigation by Spain’s judiciary following allegations from two women.
- The women, who worked at Iglesias’ Caribbean properties, alleged that he touched them and coerced them into sleeping with him.
- The alleged events took place in Punta Cana and the Bahamas in 2021.
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Iglesias has been accused of s*xual as*ault by two employees who worked at his properties in Punta Cana, in the Dominican Republic, and Lyford Cay, in the Bahamas.
One of them, a domestic worker referred to as Rebeca in the reports, said the singer regularly called her to his room at the end of the day and touched her inappropriately without her consent.
Rebeca, who is from the Dominican Republic, said she was 22 when the alleged events took place in 2021.
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She also claimed Iglesias forced her to have thr**somes with another female staff member. "He used me almost every night," she said. "I felt like an object, like a sl*ve."
Rebeca claimed Iglesias would grab her privates without her consent and slap her in the face.
The other woman, a Venezuelan physical therapist who used the pseudonym Laura in the article, alleged that the 82-year-old kissed her and touched her breasts against her will.
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“We were on the beach and he came up to me and touched my n*pples,” she said, adding that a similar incident occurred at the pool of his Punta Cana villa.
According to Laura, her former employer constantly threatened to fire her, controlled her caloric intake, and asked when her period was due.
"He always said I was fat and had to lose weight," Laura said, describing the work environment as one of “normalized ab*se.”
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Laura said she frequently rejected Iglesias’ violent advances, but "there were girls who couldn't say no. And he did what he wanted with them.”
The report includes other former employees of the musician, who describe a threatening work environment.
The plaintiffs claimed that Iglesias forced ten of his female staff members to undergo gynecological exams, be tested for STDs, and have pregnancy tests and pelvic ultrasounds.
Amid the investigation, a video has resurfaced showing the singer kissing a TV presenter and friend during an interview in the early 2000s
elDiario.es and Univision conducted an investigation of the case over three years. The outlets state that the claims are backed up by documentary evidence, including text messages, phone records, medical reports, and photographs.
Rebeca and Laura reportedly filed a legal complaint on January 5 against the musician for s*xual as*ault and human trafficking before the national court, which investigates crimes allegedly committed beyond Spain's borders.
Iglesias has denied all allegations, saying they have caused him "great sadness.”
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In a statement shared on Instagram, he wrote, "It is with deep regret that I respond to the accusations made by two individuals who previously worked in my home.
"I deny having ab*sed, coerced, or disrespected any woman. These accusations are completely false and cause me great sadness.
“I have never felt such malice, but I still have the strength to let people know the whole truth and defend my dignity in the face of such a great injustice.”
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The Madrid-born singer also thanked the “many dear people” who sent him messages of support amid the investigation.
Among the individuals who defended Iglesias was the president of the Madrid region, the conservative Isabel Díaz Ayuso.
"The Madrid region will never contribute to the vilification of artists and even less so to that of the most universal of all singers: Julio Iglesias," she wrote on social media.
A woman identified as a manager of one of Iglesias' Caribbean properties called the claims "nonsense.”
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Meanwhile, the equality minister in Spain's government, Ana Redondo, expressed hope that the case would be investigated "all the way,” stating, "When there is no consent there is as*ault.”
Ione Belarra, leader of the left-wing Podemos party, called for an end to "the silence" in cases of as*ault by "famous assailants who are protected by their money.”
In light of the accusations, many have called for the singer to have his Gold Medal for Merit in the Fine Arts of Spain revoked.
Mónica Gonzaga, an Argentine model who was in a relationship with Iglesias when she was 16 and he was 33, hopes Spain’s judiciary will bring clarity to the case.
She described her ex as a “gentleman” and a “polite” man. “It made me very sad,” Gonzaga told La Nación when asked about the allegations. “The Julio I knew is not this one.”
The model and the Grammy winner dated on and off following his separation from Isabel Preysler, Enrique Iglesias' mother, in 1979.
“If the allegations were true, the only thing I can think is that he is either senile or has mental problems," Gonzaga said.
She concluded, “All I know is what I experienced with him. I can’t say anything about what may have happened afterward.”
