‘They may killyou!’

Singer Rebecca reveals terrifying warning after she accused mystery music boss of sexual harassment

SINGER Rebecca Ferguson last night said she was warned that she could be murdered after telling police she was sexually harassed by a senior figure in the music industry.

The star said it was recently suggested to her by a friend in the industry that she should fear for her life after speaking out earlier this year.

‘Someone close to someone very important in the industry contacted me and said, “I’ve been worried about you – I thought they were going to kill you,” ’ Ms Ferguson told The Mail on Sunday.

‘She then asked me if I have people protecting me. She told me that she honestly thought I was going to be killed. I obviously haven’t taken it very well and have reported it to the police.

‘Others have approached me and warned me that I need to be careful for my life because I’m standing up to the awful behaviours that have happened – and still happen – in the music industry,’ she added. ‘This is the second time I’ve been told I was in danger. The police offered to greet me off a flight from Paris because they were so worried about me.’

This newspaper revealed in May that Ms Ferguson, 35, had reported the alleged abuse to the Met Police, sparking speculation that the music industry was facing a wider MeToo scandal.

Ms Ferguson, whose meetings with the then Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden in May resulted in the creative industries agreeing to the need for a regulatory body to ensure better safety, claims she was targeted while working to build her career after coming runner-up on the X Factor in 2010.

In a different allegation, singer Katie Waissel, 35, who competed in the same X Factor series, has also made claims to police of sexual assault by a different music industry figure. The alleged attack took place in a Los Angeles hotel in 2015.

Meanwhile, it is understood the BBC is planning to broadcast a Panorama programme examining claims of sexual abuse and bullying in the music world. Several women, including artists and staff working in the industry, have come forward with allegations of harrowing abuse by top male executives.

The BBC declined to comment on the Panorama programme last night, but an industry source said: ‘There are many powerful men scared right now, as are the corporations that they work for.’

‘Powerful men are scared right now’