Chappell Roan addresses backlash from footballer Jorginho after daughter left ‘in tears’ over security incident
American singer Chappell Roan has now responded after former Chelsea footballer Jorginho Frello claimed her security guard made his step-daughter cry during an encounter at a hotel in Brazil.
Jorginho, now at Flamengo, took to Instagram to explain that his 11-year-old step-daughter Ada was 'extremely shaken and cried a lot' after a security guard spoke 'in an extremely aggressive manner' to her and his wife, Catherine Harding, at a hotel in São Paulo.
Harding, who shares Ada with The Holiday star Jude Law following their brief relationship, and Ada were staying in the same hotel as Roan during Lollapalooza Brazil by 'coincidence'.
Detailing the ‘very upsetting situation’, the footballer claimed: "This morning, my daughter woke up incredibly excited, she even made a sign because she was so happy to see an artist she really admires, or used to admire."
Advert
He alleged that at breakfast, the 28-year-old 'Pink Pony Club' hit-maker walked past her table and Ada 'got excited' and 'just wanted to make sure it was really her'.
"And the worst part is she didn’t even approach her. She simply walked past the singer’s table, looked to confirm it was her, smiled, and went back to sit with her mum. She didn’t say anything, didn’t ask for anything," Jorginho went on.
"What happened next was completely disproportionate.
"A large security guard came over to their table while they were still having breakfast and began speaking in an extremely aggressive manner to both my wife and my daughter, saying that she shouldn’t allow my daughter to ‘disrespect’ or ‘harass’ other people."
Jorginho said he doesn’t know how this could be 'considered harassment' and that Ada was 'sitting there in tears' as the guard said he would 'file a complaint' with the hotel.
"My daughter was extremely shaken and cried a lot," he continued. "I’ve lived with football, public exposure, and well-known people for many years, and I understand very well what respect and boundaries are.
"What happened there was not that. It was just a child admiring someone."
Jorginho said it was 'sad' to see this from someone who 'should understand the importance of fans'.
"At the end of the day, they are the ones who build all of this," he rounded off. "I sincerely hope this serves as a moment of reflection. No one should have to go through this, especially not a child."
Criticising Roan, he concluded: "WITHOUT YOUR FANS, YOU WOULD BE NOTHING. AND TO THE FANS, SHE DOES NOT DESERVE YOUR AFFECTION."
Roan has since taken to Instagram herself to share a video with her nearly eight million followers to explain her side of the story.
"I’m just going to tell my half of the story of what happened today with a mother and child who were involved with a security guard who is not my personal security," she began on her Instagram Stories on Sunday (22 March).
"I didn’t even see, I didn’t even see a woman and a child like … no one came up to me, no one bothered me, like I was just sitting at breakfast in my hotel.
"I think these people were staying at the hotel as well. So, the fact that, like a security guard, who was – I did not ask the security guard to go up and talk to this mother and child, I did not."
She continued: "They did not come up to me. They weren’t doing anything. It’s unfair for security to just assume someone doesn’t have good intentions when they have no reason to believe, because there’s no action even taken."
Roan added: "I do not hate people who are fans of my music. I do not hate children – that is crazy.
"I’m sorry to the mother and child that someone was assuming something, that you would do something, and that … if you felt uncomfortable, that makes me really sad. You did not deserve that."
Roan's publicist told Tyla in a statement: "Chappell was not aware of any interaction between this mother / daughter and a third party security office. She did not see them at breakfast in her hotel, as she said in her video. She did not direct her personal security or anyone on her team to interact with them. Chappell holds her own teams to the highest standards and has zero tolerance for any kind of aggressive behaviour towards her or her fans."
Topics: Celebrity, Football, Music, Social Media, Sport, Chappell Roan
Rhiannon Ingle