Former JLS singer Oritsé Williams has spoken out about the “horrific” experience of being accused – and later cleared – of rape.
Oritsé, who rose to fame as part of the boyband on The X Factor in 2008, said he hadn’t been able to work since the allegations were made against him nearly three years ago.
The singer, who jurors unanimously acquitted at trial in May, told Good Morning Britain on Tuesday: “It’s been horrific. I haven’t been able to work for three years.
“I had this accusation just hanging over my head every single day, from the time I wake up in the morning to the time I go to sleep at night.
“It just completely tormented me. But I had two choices – either I could let it drag me under and completely destroy me, or I could stay strong and hope that the truth would eventually come out, which ultimately it did.”
He told hosts Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid on the ITV breakfast show: “I tried to protect my mother from the whole thing but when you’re in the public eye…
“My family are so loving, I’ve had so much unconditional love and support from them all and my friends, even members of the public and my fans have been absolutely amazing”.
Jurors at Wolverhampton Crown Court deliberated for around two hours before unanimously acquitting Oritsé, who told the jury he had consensual sex with his accuser in the city in December 2016.
During the time he was waiting for his trial, Oritsé revealed had been working on new music, claiming to have written “some of the best songs of his career”.
“I’ve had a lot of time on my hands over the last few years so I’ve been reconnecting as a songwriter, immersing myself in my music like I did when I was a little boy,” he said.
“I believe I’ve written some of the best songs of my life during this period. I’ve poured my heart out into these songs, I’ve bled all over them. I’ve shed tears over them.
“At some point, when the time is right, I’d really love to be able to share this music with people.”
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays at 6am on ITV.
Useful helplines and websites:
- Victim Support - Visit victimsupport.org.uk or call 0808 168 9111 Sexual Abuse Referral Centres - Find a SARC
- Rape Crisis - Visit rapecrisis.org.uk or call 0808 802 9999 The Rape and Abuse Line - Visit rapeandabuseline.co.uk or call 0808 800 0123 (answered by women) or 0808 800 0122 (answered by men).