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Christine Estera @ChristineEstera October 22, 2025 - 9:32AM Share via Email Share on Facebook Share on Whatsapp Listen to this article Copied URL to clipboard Disgraced TV personality Don Burke has broken his silence eight years after withdrawing from the spotlight following a spate of sexual misconduct and bullying allegations. Although the former TV host continues to make Burke’s Backyard YouTube clips from his home in Sydney, he’s rarely heard from since 2017 when a joint ABC and Fairfax exposé detailed sordid allegations against him made by more than 50 people, including TV and media personalities and former crew members. The most famous voices to speak out at the time were Kerri-Anne Kennerley and Olympian Susie O’Neill. Don Burke was last photographed in 2017 near his property in Kenthurst, Sydney. Burke, now 78, denied all accusations at the time – which included grabbing female colleagues’ breasts and trying to remove their clothing – but his fall from grace was immediate amid the #MeToo movement era. Now, in new interview with the Daily Mail, the former TV personality claims that nameless industry enemies were behind his “cancellation”. “It was people in the media who hated my guts and ganged up against me,” he told the outlet. “Most of it was media. TV is dying, newspapers are dying, and [they] were forced to go out and find the most horrible stuff of all time that they could.” Burke hosted the hugely popular Burke’s Backyard from 1987 to 2004. After the allegations were made public in the exposé, Burke was sued by his former Burke’s Backyard producer Bridget Ninness, who accused him of “psychological abuse” and labelled him a “vile, vile human being.” Ninness also claimed that Burke’s alleged constant “lewd and crude” comments about sex was “designed to confront you and to demean you”. Copied URL to clipboard Burke repeatedly denied the accusations in a statement at the time, insisting that “it all came to nothing” and he “would have won a defamation case” had he pursued it, but upon legal advice was told it would be financially irresponsible. Meanwhile, former researcher Louise Langdon alleged Burke tried to remove her top, “put his foot into my rear end” and said it wasn’t firm enough. Wendy Dent, a former children’s entertainer, also came forward with claims Burke offered her a topless audition in 1995, when she was aged 21. Kerri-Anne Kennerley says the gardening guru’s language was worse than most. Susie O’Neill said Burke made inappropriate comments during an interview. Picture: Tarsha Hosking More prominent personalities also shared their experiences with Burke. Kerri-Anne Kennerley said that Burke’s “language was appalling” on the occasions she interviewed him, and also said there were “a whole bunch of people” in the TV industry at the time who sexually harassed women. Gold medallist Susie O’Neill claimed that Burke made a crude comment when visiting her home for an episode of the show in the run-up to the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. She alleged Burke pointed to a painting of a flower and asked: “Is your c**t as big as that?” Burke denied the allegations in an interview with A Current Affair in 2017. Host Tracy Grimshaw grilled the disgraced star over the allegations. Burke vehemently denied all the allegations in an interview with Tracy Grimshaw on A Current Affair at the time, arguing he was the victim of a “witch hunt”. While admitting that he “might have been a bear with a sore head towards the end [of Burke’s Backyard]” and that the “bullying may be true”, he denies the “sleazy sexual stuff”. “I was this bullying figure, it was a robust environment and everybody was entitled to put in their two cents,” he told Grimshaw. “I’m a perfectionist that drove people very hard, and although I felt we did have a happy office, there’s clearly, when you look at the people that are complaining now, there’s a lot of people that don’t like me, and they can’t all be wrong. “I think I deserve some of this. But not the sleazy sexual stuff.” More Coverage Nepo baby’s surprise show roasted: ‘Awful’ American pop superstar spotted in Bondi In his new interview with the Daily Mail, the fallen star said he still makes Burke’s Backyard episodes for YouTube from his home in Kenthurst in Sydney’s north, and he recently released a bird book titled Budgerigars: The Colour Revolution, which he claims has taken Amazon by storm. “People still come up to me and say, ‘We love you,’ and, ‘When are you going to be back on TV?’ But I never had any desire to be famous. I just want to help people,” he said. As for the scandal that ended his career, Burke simply admitted, “I never let it get to me.” Join the conversation Add your comment to this story To join the conversation, please log in. Don't have an account? Join the conversation, you are commenting as More related stories Celebrity Life ‘Final straw’ that ended Britney’s marriage Kevin Federline made a shocking claim about the call he got from his then-wife, Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan that saw him give up. Celebrity Photos World-famous pop star spotted in Bondi One of the most famous pop stars of all time was spotted in Bondi overnight, taking a break from her current tour of Australia. Celebrity Kids A-listers’ kid turns on family in scathing post This A-list former couple’s daughter didn’t hold back while sharing her experiences of a “lonely” childhood surrounded by “poisonous” family. 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