Nigel quits US talent show after sex assault allegations

NIGEL LYTHGOE has quit as a judge on American talent show So You Think You Can Dance after being accused of sexual assault.

The star said he won’t be taking part in the new series following two lawsuits against him – one from singer Paula Abdul and another by two former contestants of US reality show All American Girl.

Lythgoe, 74, has denied Ms Abdul’s allegations, saying he was ‘shocked’ by them. But on Friday night he released a statement which says he has decided not to take part in the 18th series of the show, which is hosted by British presenter Cat Deeley and due to start in March.

Lythgoe said: ‘I have informed the producers of So You Think You Can Dance of my decision to step back from participating in this year’s series.

‘I did so with a heavy heart but entirely voluntarily. In the meantime, I am dedicating myself to clearing my name and restoring my reputation.’

Fox, the network that screens the programme, confirmed it would be carrying on without him. The show’s host, Ms Deeley, was given the role by Lythgoe and turned down a lucrative offer from ITV to anchor This Morning so she could return to the US to present the new series. Friends of Ms Deeley say she is ‘upset’ at the situation.

Lythgoe, who was a judge on ITV’s Popstars show in 2000, has been accused by Ms Abdul of assaulting her in a lift in the early 2000s and again at his home during what she thought was a professional meeting. In the second lawsuit, the two women allege that Lythgoe took them back to his home in LA following a party, where he is said to have made unwanted sexual advances on them.