Is Don Burke losing his green thumb? Disgraced TV presenter who showed millions of Australians how to grow veggies now resorts to buying his from a local supermarket
- Don Burke, 71, presented Burke's Backyard for 17 years until it was axed in 2004
- In November 2017, several woman claimed he was sexually inappropriate
- Burke strongly denied the claims and described the women as 'malcontents'
- He was seen shopping at Aldi near his rural property in Dural, Sydney, on Sunday
Disgraced gardening guru Don Burke showed a generation of Australians how to grow veggies in their backyard before his fall from grace.
But the former TV host looks to have lost his green thumb - now buying his produce by the trolley load.
Burke, who was accused of sexual harassment by up to 50 women during the 1980s and 1990s, has kept a low profile since the allegations surfaced in late 2017.
He was recently spotted filling his shopping trolley with silverbeet at an Aldi near his rural property in Dural, in Sydney's north.
Don Burke was spotted stuffing his shopping trolley with silverbeet at an Aldi near his rural property in Dural, in Sydney's north
The former TV host doesn't seem to be exercising his green thumb since he was accused of sexual harassment by up to 50 women
The 71-year-old rugged up in a tartan flannel top, dirty grey trousers, and a pair of ugg boots as he perused the produce aisles.
He declined to comment when approached by Daily Mail Australia, saying his legal advice was to remain silent.
Burke has stayed at his expansive property away from the public eye since the allegations surfaced in November 2017.
His Burke's Backyard Facebook page struggled on for a few months before finally falling silent last February.
Once an overexposed TV personality, his last appearance was a disastrous A Current Affair interview where he tried to refute the claims against him
His accusers included former researchers, producers, crew members, and TV hopefuls, who he described as 'malcontents' who 'bear grudges against me'.
The 71-year-old rugged up in a tartan flannel top, dirty grey trousers, and a pair of ugg boots as he perused the produce aisles
Burke has stayed hunkered-down at his expansive property away from the public eye since the allegations surfaced in November 2017
Wendy Dent was working as a children's entertainer in the 1990s when she first met Burke.
As part of her routine she had him kneel in front of her, sprinkled some 'stardust' over him and said he could have any wish once he opened he eyes.
To the then 21-year-old's shock, Burke said it hadn't worked because she was still wearing clothes, she claimed.
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Ms Dent later took an opportunity to interview for a role on his show.
They talked on the phone about her being a 'featured mermaid' on the show and him helping her with her career, before the conversation allegedly turned sinister.
'Well you'll have to audition, but you'll have to be topless,' Ms Dent claimed he told her, prompting her to hang up in shock and disgust.
'I went from feeling like this talent with a future to feeling like I was just a pair of boobs to him, to be honest,' she said.
Ms Dent claimed Burke said she would have to audition 'topless' when she went for a role on his show
Burke claimed on ACA that he couldn't even remember Ms Dent and that many people working on Burke's Backyard at the time had jumped to his defence.
The show's host, Tracy Grimshaw, said if what Burke said was true then there must be 'a lot of people lying', who interjects and replied: 'Yeah, I know.'
Burke's comments led to Ms Dent filing a defamation lawsuit against him a year later, claiming he inferred she was a liar.
She also claimed her reputation was 'greatly injured' when Burke said the women, who collectively included her, were part of a 'witch hunt' against him.
Ms Dent's lawyer Stuart Littlemore QC accused Burke of purposefully bringing his client into 'public contempt' and making 'deliberately false attribution of blame to herself and his other victims'.
Burke's defence claimed truth and qualified privilege, stating he only intended to respond to Ms Dent's 'public and repeated attacks on him'.
Former researcher Louise Langdon claimed Burke insisted she watch a video, which turned out to be disgusting footage of a woman having sex with a donkey, and gained pleasure from her shocked reaction, she told the ABC.
Former researcher Louise Langdon claimed Burke (pictured together) insisted she watch a video, which turned out to be disgusting footage of a woman having sex with a donkey
Burke (left, and right with his wife), 70, who hosted Burke's Backyard for 17 years until it was suddenly axed in 2004, strongly denied the claims
Ms Langdon, now a psychologist in the U.S., claimed he later indecently assaulted her.
'It was things like pulling at my bra strap, flicking a bra strap… pulling up my shirt to see what colour underwear I was wearing,' she said.
Another time he allegedly pushed his toe into her backside to check how firm it was, and with disappointment noted she 'hadn't been working out'.
On a trip to Alice Springs for Burke's radio show, Ms Langdon claimed he joked it was so hot she should remove her clothing as they sat together on a shuttle bus.
'He decided that it was okay for him to put his hands on my T-shirt and try and pull my bra strap, my bra, off and somehow remove my clothing. He was trying to take my top off,' she said.
Burke denied any of these incidents occurred and said researchers were not taken on location for taping, and he found no record of her being on such a trip.
Louise Langdon (left) and Wendy Dent (right) both made sexual harrassment claims against Burke
Bridget Ninness, a former producer on Burke's Backyard for seven years, described Burke as a 'vile human being' who 'got off on terrorising (female researchers)'.
Ms Ninness launched legal action against Burke's company over alleged 'sustained and systemic psychological abuse'. She eventually settled the case out of court.
Another researcher, who asked not to be named, said Burke bragged about groping women's breasts as they smoked cigarettes on his production company's rooftop.
He told her that his favourite part of cocktail parties was using name tags as an excuse to 'grab women's t*ts' by pretending he couldn't read them.
Then she claimed he grabbed her breasts hard and when she jumped back he insulted their size and said no one would want to touch them.
'This was not a clumsy, oafish move. It was a calculated action. That is what was scary. It was premeditated,' she told the Sydney Morning Herald.
Burke in response denied the entire incident ever occurred.
Bridget Ninness (right), a former producer on Burke's Backyard, described her boss as a 'vile human being'
A former crew member claimed Burke bragged about groping a teenage girl in a disturbing chance encounter on the street.
'He boasted that he had stroked her nipple three times while showing her how to hold the puppy,' the crew member claimed.
Burke did not address the former crew member's recollection of the alleged incident in his response.
He generally complained the 'untrue claims' would 'destroy' his income for the rest of his life and prevent him from performing his 'extensive charity work'.
The former TV icon slammed comparisons to disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein and claimed he had a 'life-long opposition to sexism and misogyny'.
There is no suggestion Burke raped anyone.
Burke denied any of these incidents occurred and said researchers were not taken on location for taping
The former TV icon slammed comparisons to disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein and claimed he had a 'life-long opposition to sexism and misogyny'
He said Burke's Backyard was a 'lone bastion of anti-misogyny' and deliberately chose the best women in their field.
They were 'not the typical media females aged under 30 with Barbie-Doll figures' and he faced opposition to having them on TV as a result.
He said recorded testimonies from award-winning author Jackie French, and showrunners Michael Freedman and James O'Sullivan would support his denials.
Mr Freedman, his former chief executive, told the SMH: 'I never observed any sexual harassment. Don's not the kind of person to engage in that type of behaviour'.
Burke at the time called in top defamation lawyer Patrick George, senior partner at the law firm Kennedys Australia.
He called the allegations 'false and defamatory' and appeared poised to take legal action against his accusers, but is yet to do so.
A former crew member claimed Burke (pictured) bragged about groping a teenage girl in a disturbing chance encounter on the street
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