Shocking Sexual Assault Claims Made Against Patrick Swayze

PA

Disturbing allegations have been made against the late Patrick Swayze.

Radio presenter and stand-up comedian Michele Mahone has alleged Swayze grabbed her and forcefully kissed her in a ‘nauseating’ act she likened to an ‘uncle grabbing and kissing you’.

Michele had been working as a Disney make-up artist at the time, when the Dirty Dancing star ‘violated’ her; kissing her with such force, her mouth was left hurting.

The incident occurred, Michele claims, just after he had been speaking lovingly about his wife Lisa Niemi in an interview. According to Michele, the couple had been known for having the most ‘rock solid marriage in Hollywood’.

Today/NBC

Now a radio presenter and comedian, Michele has made the shocking allegations in a recent ‘true stories’ article on news.com.au:

Patrick Swayze came in for an interview, and the whole time all he did was talk about how fantastic his wife was.

At the end of his interview, I asked him if he wanted his make-up removed.

I went back to the room, and put my left hand up to lift his fringe off his face, while I removed his makeup with my right hand.

He grabbed my waist and pulled me in and started kissing me. I was completely shocked. He wouldn’t let go. His hand moved behind my head, and it was a really forceful kiss.

A Hollywood-based entertainment correspondent for the Australian Today Show and a freelance make-up artist, Michele was used to working in front of the camera and behind the scenes.

Michele spoke of how she pushed his shoulder off her, in a situation which felt ‘like a drunk in the bar grabbing you out of nowhere’:

He said, ‘Oh, this doesn’t mean we can’t work together,’ and I didn’t know what to say.

I was shaken. I was trembling. It was like an uncle grabbing you and kissing you. I was appalled, because he just said how much he loved his wife.

I felt violated. My mouth hurt. I was in absolute shock.

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Michele claims the incident affected her job prospects with Disney, where she had previously worked about three to five times a month:

I slowly packed up my kit hoping that by the time I was done, he’d have left the studio.

But when I left, he was still in the lobby. Producers and everyone were still there.

When he left, I pulled the producer (who was a woman) aside. I told her how he kissed me, and she asked if it had happened before.

I said no, but they never hired me again.

I called two or three weeks later, then again a month and two months later and I never heard from them again.

Michele believes Disney’s decision not to hire her again stemmed from fears over a potential lawsuit.

She also explained how she thought nobody would believe her story at the time because of the positive way Swayze was regarded:

He was on a pedestal. He was Mr Clean. Everyone saw him as one of the good guys, but he was a fricking pig. But who would’ve believed me?

Patrick Swayze died from pancreatic cancer in September 2009, at the age of 57.

Julia Banim

Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.