Spanish singer Julio Iglesias has rejected the allegations of abuse lodged against him by two female ex-employees, calling the claims ‘absolutely false’.
Taking to his Instagram on Friday morning, the 82-year-old wrote: ‘It is with profound sadness that I respond to the accusations made by two people who previously worked in my house.’
‘I deny having abused, coerced, or disrespected any woman. These accusations are absolutely false and deeply sadden me.’
He added: ‘I have never felt such malice, but I still have the strength to let people know the whole truth and to defend my dignity against such a serious accusation.’
The singer also thanked ‘so many dear people’ who sent him messages of support.
Iglesias, one of the most successful Latin artists of all time, is a Grammy winner with more than 300 million records sold in a career spanning decades.
He is also the father of bestselling pop singer Enrique Iglesias.
His comments come after two women – a domestic worker and a physiotherapist – alleged they suffered sexual and physical abuse while working at Iglesias’s properties in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas in 2021.
Spanish singer Julio Iglesias has rejected the allegations of abuse
Julio Iglesias is the father of bestselling pop singer Enrique Iglesias (pictured)
The allegations were published by Spanish news outlet el.Diario in a lengthy report shared on Tuesday, where the women were referred to by the pseudonyms ‘Rebeca’ and ‘Laura.’
Advocacy groups Women’s Link Worldwide and Amnesty International said a complaint filed with Spanish prosecutors on January 5 outlined alleged acts that could be considered ‘a crime of human trafficking for the purpose of forced labour’ and ‘crimes against sexual freedom’.
Iglesias reportedly subjected them to ‘sexual harassment, regularly checked their mobile phones and restricted their ability to leave the home where they worked, and required them to work up to 16 hours a day without days off’, according to testimony collected by the two groups.
Rebeca alleged that Iglesias would often call her to his room and sexually abuse her, penetrating her anally and vaginally with his fingers without consent.
She said: ‘He used me almost every night. I felt like an object, like a slave.’
Laura told the Spanish paper that the singer had kissed her on the mouth and touched her breasts without her permission.
Iglesias’s former manager said he was ‘very affectionate’ and enjoyed ‘physical contact’ but stressed he never saw the music icon ‘behave aggressively’
The allegations against the beloved crooner have sparked strong reactions in Spain, with members of the leftist government backing the complainants and demanding that an investigation establishes the truth.
The head of the conservative opposition Popular Party, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, who is friends with Iglesias, told Telecinco television on Wednesday he was ‘very, very, very surprised’ but urged against ‘speculating’.
Meanwhile, Isabel Diaz Ayuso, the president of the Community of Madrid, defended the singer, writing on X: ‘The raped and attacked women are in Iran, with the complicit silence of the ultra-left.’
‘The Community of Madrid will never contribute to the discrediting of artists, and even less so to that of the most universal singer of all: Julio Iglesias.’
Iglesias’s former manager Fernan Martinez told Telecinco that he was ‘very affectionate’ and enjoyed ‘physical contact’ but stressed he never saw the music icon ‘behave aggressively’.