Presenter Linda de Mol has been in a relationship with musician Jeroen Rietbergen for 14 years. In addition, the 51-year-old is said to have molested women as part of his work for the TV show “The Voice of Holland”. However, De Mol does not want to have noticed anything about it.
TV presenter Linda de Mol has commented extensively on the abuse scandal surrounding her ex-partner Jeroen Rietbergen in the Netherlands. The 58-year-old split from her longtime boyfriend earlier this year. It had previously become public that Rietbergen had abused his power as a bandleader and sexually harassed candidates while working for the TV show “The Voice of Holland”.
In her magazine “Linda” de Mol now describes the evening of January 12, 2022, when she claims to have heard about the allegations for the first time. She was just preparing a risotto when an email suddenly changed her life. “I fell into a big, deep, black hole,” writes de Mol.
“That someone you love so much behaved badly with young women – that created sadness and anger in me,” the presenter continues. In the days that followed, she felt “numb” and could not leave her own home.
There is controversy in the Netherlands as to whether de Mol already knew about the allegations in 2020. Two women are said to have approached her at the time. However, De Mol asserts in her current statement: “I knew, and I swear that with my two children, of nothing on ‘The Voice’.”
After a hiatus, de Mol only returned to television earlier this month. She hosted a new edition of the game show “Miljoenenjacht” (“Million Hunt”). Meanwhile, the public prosecutor’s office continues to investigate her 51-year-old ex-partner. It is currently uncertain whether charges will be filed.
“The Voice of Holland” is the Dutch counterpart to the talent show “The Voice of Germany”, which was successful in this country. It went on the air in 2010, a year earlier than the German version. Rietbergen has worked for the format since 2013.
Linda de Mol is a popular presenter in the Netherlands. But she also made a name for herself in Germany, especially as the host of the RTL show “Traumhochzeit” in the 90s.
