An ex‑Page 3 model is reportedly set to level a series of allegations against former West Ham United owner David Sullivan in a BBC Panorama broadcast due to air on Monday (June 8).
The woman, whom The Telegraph is not naming, will claim she visited the billionaire’s £7.5 million mansion in the late 1990s while attempting to establish herself in the modelling industry. She has spoken publicly about an encounter she says occurred during what she believed would be a discussion about career opportunities.
She says she was left “shocked” by the meeting. The programme comes as Mr Sullivan, 77, who built much of his fortune in adult publishing, steps back from his role at West Ham to concentrate on legal action, having vowed to sue the BBC for libel, reports the Mirror.
View 2 ImagesSullivan has been West Ham’s largest shareholder, with nearly 40 per cent, since the death of business partner David Gold in 2023
Mr Sullivan has denied any wrongdoing, releasing a statement in which he said: “After a lifetime spent building businesses in the adult industry in which I have met thousands of women, it is sadly inevitable that a small number of improper conduct claims are being made against me.”
A joint investigation by the BBC and The Times is set to be published, examining several serious allegations about Mr Sullivan’s personal life. They will be aired on BBC1’s Panorama.
The woman, whom we are choosing not to identify, alleges she was sent to meet Sullivan after compiling her first modelling portfolio. She described it as a moment she has never forgotten, adding she only fully reflected on the incident years later while revisiting her experiences through personal writing and self-reflection.
She recounts that she has come to reassess the encounter, viewing it very differently from how she understood it at the time. Mr Sullivan, who had co‑owned West Ham for 16 years, amassed his wealth through a prolific “adult entertainment” empire in the 1970s before moving into prime London property.
The forthcoming Panorama investigation has drawn considerable attention given his long‑standing influence across British media, adult publishing and football. In her account, the woman says she hopes to encourage others to speak openly about the conduct of powerful men and the treatment of women within the modelling and pornography industries.
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She argues that younger women entering those industries can be especially vulnerable to coercion and pressure. She also describes the emotional toll of revisiting events she says occurred more than two decades ago, writing that she experienced flashbacks after beginning to discuss her experiences publicly.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Mr Sullivan said they were “decades-old allegations concerning my personal life” that were “factually incorrect and entirely false”. The statement, and resignation, also follows West Ham’s relegation from the Premier League.
Mr Sullivan, who is worth around £1.1bilion, said he had received no “proper explanation” as to how his accusers and their claims had been “independently verified or assessed for credibility prior to publication”.
“I believe the entire process has been fundamentally unfair and completely lacking in any due impartiality,” he added. “The false allegations levelled against me have been sensationalised by the media
“I will be suing the BBC for libel, along with any other media outlet that repeats any libellous allegations. None of these allegations relate to my more than 30 years in football. I am stepping down to apply my full energy and attention on fighting these false allegations.”
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West Ham said none of the claims set to be aired relate to his running of the East London club. Sullivan has been the largest shareholder, with nearly 40 per cent, since the death of business partner David Gold in 2023. They were joint-chairmen when they bought the club in 2010.
Sullivan, who owned the Daily Sport and Sunday Sport tabloids from 1986 to 2007, selling them for £40million, will retain his stake. Sons Jack and David are said to be his first-choice replacements.
A BBC spokesman said: “BBC Panorama and The Times newspaper have been working on a joint investigation into the behaviour of David Sullivan. The investigation is due to be broadcast and published on Monday.”