SAS Australia star Roxy Jacenko has spoken out about Ant Middleton’s chequered history, after the former British solider’s controversial past resurfaced this week.
A recent article by Daily Mail Australia unearthed some of Middleton’s controversies, including his divisive tweets and a four-month prison stint for assaulting a policewoman outside a nightclub in 2013.
Speaking at the Honey Birdette swimwear launch in Sydney on Thursday, PR guru Roxy said ‘we’ve all got pasts’ when asked about the ex-Royal Marine’s scandals.
Speaking out: Roxy Jacenko (pictured) has spoken out about Ant Middleton’s chequered history, after stories about the SAS Australia star’s controversial past were unearthed this week. Pictured during the launch show on Monday
‘Without knowing the full details of what he has or hasn’t done, I think everyone needs to give everyone a chance,’ the 40-year-old told Daily Mail Australia.
‘Like my husband – just because he went to jail, it doesn’t mean that he shouldn’t have a future.’
Roxy’s husband, former investment banker Oliver Curtis, spent a year behind bars for insider trading and now works for his wife’s PR empire.
The publicist, 40, left the competition after just six hours during the launch episode on Monday, and was shortly followed by convicted drug smuggler Schapelle Corby.
‘In terms of his chequered past… I think we’ve all got pasts,’ she added. ‘Look at Schapelle [Corby] – she also has a past. But good on her for going on, and trying to turn her life around.’
Middleton caused outrage earlier this year when he boasted that he was flouting social distancing guidelines during the coronavirus pandemic.
History: Former British Special Forces agent Ant Middleton has promised to expose the ‘darkest secrets’ of the terrified celebrities on Channel Seven’s SAS Australia. However, Middleton comes with his own chequered past full of scandals and controversies
He was also stood down from his mentoring role as the Royal Navy’s Chief Cadet after calling Black Lives Matter protesters ‘absolute scum’ on Twitter.
His string of controversies began in 2013, when he assaulted officer PC Katherine Alison outside an Essex nightclub.
He was sentenced to 14 months in prison for the attack, of which he served four months due to good behaviour.
In January this year, Middleton’s appointment as Chief Cadet of the Royal Marines’ Volunteer Cadet Corps was condemned by Alison. Her friends told Mail on Sunday she remains traumatised by the incident.
She reportedly suffered whiplash injuries as a result of the incident and was withdrawn from frontline duties. She was later transferred away from Essex Police.
In 2015, Middleton failed to declare he had been jailed while being vetted by TV producers for the hit UK reality show SAS: Who Dares Wins.
However, it appears that Middleton did declare his criminal record to Australian authorities, otherwise he would have been barred from entering the country.
In March, at the onset of the Covid pandemic, he boasted he was continuing with life as usual and was ignoring social distancing advice – and said fans should be ‘grateful’ if they caught it.
Scrutiny: The 39-year-old caused outrage this year when he boasted that he was flouting social distancing guidelines during the coronavirus pandemic
He said in a video shared to Instagram: ‘Am I still out travelling the world? Yes. Am I still shaking hands? Yes. Am I still cuddling fans at the airport? Yes. Am I washing my hands and keeping my hygiene to a high standard as always? Yes.
‘Has my life changed? No. Am I going to let some disease, COVID-19, dictate my life? Absolutely not. Get out there, don’t change, f**k COVID-19!’
In June, Middleton offered his opinion on the Black Lives Matter movement and compared it to the far-right English Defence League.
He wrote on Twitter: ‘The extreme left against the extreme right.
‘When did two wrongs make a right. It was only a matter of time. BLM and EDL are not welcome on our streets, absolute scum. What a great example you are to your future generation. Bravo.’
In August, Middleton quit as the Royal Navy’s Chief Cadet after just nine months following the controversial tweet.
The TV tough guy, who took on the role in November 2019, was said to have left his bosses furious after posting the since-deleted tweet, amid protests over racial injustice after the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, in the U.S.
He later apologised for his actions, saying: ‘I am horrified to realise that my wording could be misconstrued. I did not mean to say that BLM are scum, or to imply that BLM and the EDL are equivalent.
‘I was trying to make a comment about violent protesters of any kind who I despise. I accept that my tweet was inappropriate and offensive and would like to apologise unconditionally. I am anti-racist, anti-hate and anti-violence.’
Misleading: In a video shared to Instagram in March, the former soldier announced that he was continuing with life as usual during the pandemic, including travelling and hugging fans
Backpedalling: He later apologised for his actions, saying: ‘I am horrified to realise that my wording could be misconstrued. I did not mean to say that BLM are scum, or to imply that BLM and the EDL are equivalent’
His tweet had a long-lasting effect as the Mail on Sunday claimed in August that Middleton had been given the boot by charity football match Soccer Aid 2020 amid fears that his involvement would offend ethnic minority players.
It was unclear whether organisers kicked out Middleton at the request of other players or to protect the image of the match, which attracts significant corporate sponsorship and support from the British government.
A spokesman for Middleton confirmed at the time that he would no longer be taking part in the Soccer Aid event.
Middleton joined the British Army aged 17 in 1997, and served in the Royal Marines from 2005 to 2012.
He was thrust into the spotlight after becoming the Chief Instructor on Channel 4’s SAS: Who Dares Wins. The military-style reality show has aired every year since, and was recently adapted by Channel Seven for Australian viewers.
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