Ashley James Becomes Emotional on This Morning Over Andrew's Arrest
Ashley James broke down in tears during Friday's episode of This Morning while discussing the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. The former Made In Chelsea star was part of a panel on the ITV show that included Gyles Brandreth, Royal Editor Russell Myers, and presenters Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary.
Emotional Reaction to Royal Arrest
Speaking about Andrew's arrest, which occurred on his 66th birthday when plain-clothed officers arrived at the Sandringham Estate, Ashley dabbed tears from her eyes and said: 'I felt very emotional watching this actually. There's a reason I feel so upset about it.'
'So many of us have watched the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein try to get justice and I felt a huge sense of relief yesterday watching Andrew be arrested,' she continued. 'Of course, his arrest is about state matters and not about the alleged sexual abuse of Virginia Giuffre.'
Revealing Personal Trauma
The discussion came shortly after Ashley bravely revealed for the first time that she was raped by a male friend when she was a 21-year-old student at Nottingham University. She recounts this traumatic experience in her new book, Bimbo, explaining it occurred after a night out at a club with friends while she was unconscious.
In a chapter entitled Silly Girl - referencing how victims are often dismissed and blamed - Ashley wrote: 'It's something I've never spoken about and yet I've thought about it every day since, increasingly so since having children.'
'It was one of the very worst moments of my life. It was hugely traumatic,' she continued. 'I'm not telling the story to shock but as a mirror to show how common these experiences are – and also how broken the support system is.'
Struggling with Self-Blame and Silence
Ashley explained she didn't report what happened because her attacker had been a friend rather than 'a stranger in a dark alley,' which made it harder for her to accept he was a rapist. As a result, she turned the blame inward for years.
'And because of that, the only person I blamed was myself. For years,' she wrote. 'Even after it happened, I was more worried about him not liking me than I was about my own trauma. I was worried he'd tell other people and everyone would think I was a s**g.'
She continued: 'So I didn't tell anyone, and I even tried to stay friends with him. Even now I find it hard to think about him as a rapist. Even though that's what he was, because I wasn't asking for it. In fact, I was unconscious.'
Challenging Victim Blaming Culture
Ashley voiced her hope that sharing her story would 'change the conversation' around rape and victim blaming. She emphasized that circumstances like clothing or alcohol consumption should never excuse assault.
'I'd worry about ruining his life. Yes, I was drunk. Yes, I was wearing going-out clothes, having come from a club. But I was with friends — people I trusted,' she wrote.
'We don't teach girls that, one day, if they get the chance, their male friends might try to rape them,' Ashley continued. 'It doesn't matter what you are wearing [or] if you had zero drinks or 1,000 drinks.'
Describing how the assault left her living with 'the shame and silence' afterwards, Ashley's emotional appearance on This Morning highlighted both personal trauma and broader societal issues surrounding sexual violence and accountability.
