Naga Munchetty has revealed she once punched a teenage boy who sexually harassed her on the train.
The presenter — who was recently placed “under review” at BBC Breakfast — revealed 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 was in her twenties at the time and recalled feeling instant “fear” about what the teens would do to retaliate.
“Two young boys were there. They were probably about 15 or 16 and they were near the door as I went to get off,” she recounted, per MailOnline.
“And they grabbed my bottom, pinched it, and I turned around and punched one of those boys and swore at them.
“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.”
Munchetty added: “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.”
The presenter currently fronts BBC Breakfast alongside co-host Charlie Stayt every Thursday to Saturday, having joined the flagship show in 2014.
Munchetty and Stayt are reportedly being assessed over their workplace behaviour, with Munchetty 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.
Munchetty has been accused of being “hard” and to have been “bullying” by her coworkers, according to a number of sources. These accusations range from irrational demands on her breakfast order to 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 and will not be subject to a thorough investigation after PWC examined the work culture on the show.
The news followed the BBC’s internal investigation published in April, which revealed that some stars and managers “behave unacceptably” at work.
