"I turned around and punched one of those boys"
Naga Munchetty revealed that a teenage boy groped her on a train and she reacted by punching him in the face.
The BBC Breakfast presenter, who was in her 20s at the time, said two teenagers “pinched” and “grabbed” her bottom as she went to get off the train, prompting her to hit one of them.
The 50-year-old recalled feeling instant “fear” about what the teens would do to retaliate.
Naga told Daily Mail: “Two young boys were there. They were probably about 15 or 16 and they were near the door as I went to get off.
“And they grabbed my bottom, pinched it, and I turned around and punched one of those boys and swore at them.”
She admitted that her reaction may not have been right but it was “an instant reaction”.
Naga continued: “I’m not saying that was right, but it was an instant reaction.
“And then, straight away after, was the fear that I was a woman on my own only a few years older than them and what would happen next.
“I was fortunate enough that it shocked them and I was getting off the train and I was comforted by that.
“If I had been staying on the train I don’t know, I don’t think I would have wanted to be confronted by them.”
Naga Munchetty currently fronts BBC Breakfast alongside co-host Charlie Stayt every Thursday to Saturday, having joined the flagship show in 2014.
The pair are reportedly being assessed over their workplace behaviour, with Naga facing a complaint of bullying from a junior colleague.
In June, she was accused of “bullying” a female colleague last year and making an off-air sex joke in 2022.
Naga has been accused of being “hard” and to have been “bullying” by her coworkers.
These accusations include irrational demands over her breakfast order and more serious charges of using inappropriate sexual language. The BBC said it takes all workplace conduct concerns “extremely seriously” and encourages staff to come forward.
Meanwhile, BBC Breakfast editor Richard Frediani has been cleared of bullying and inappropriate conduct. He will not face a thorough investigation after PWC examined the work culture on the show.
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