Joel Dommett is better known these days as a successful comedian and presenter, but in his early career he fell victim to a catfish scam which led to a nude video of the star being leaked online.
The 36-year-old has spoken about his regret after a sex tape was released by a scammer.
The video, which shows Joel performing a solo sex act at home, apparently remains online after Joel refused to give the scammer money.
Instead, the comedian has made it part of his act and spoken openly about the ordeal.
Joel Dommett video: how was he catfished?
The comedian and presenter explained how when fresh out of a relationship a few years ago he was contacted online by a woman who called herself ‘Staci’.
The woman asked if Joel would like to have Skype sex, to which the Celebrity Gogglebox star agreed.
“I thought for a second, then immediately typed: “Why not?!” he told The Sun.
The woman mysteriously claimed that her microphone was broken, so the pair would not be able to talk on the call.
They did Skype sex, after which the woman ghosted Joel and didn’t reply to any of his follow-up messages.
He forgot about the incident – until two years later it came back to haunt him when a Twitter account contacted him claiming to have naked footage of him.
Joel explained: “At first I thought, ‘What? Why would anyone have naked pictures of me?’
And then I thought, ‘No, Staci, no!’, and then, ‘No, I’m so stupid’ — and finally I realised it was obviously a fake person.”
Many people would have parted with their cash at this point. Joel, however, ignored the scammer’s plea for money to stop the video being released.
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Joel tracked down the real woman behind the fake profile
Instead, Joel managed to track down the real person behind the scammer’s fake profile photo.
She was a Russian stylist called Natalia Noir and – after explaining to her what had happened – the pair even ended up dating for a while!
“I went on a date with someone who I thought I was masturbating to in the first place,” he said. “Isn’t that the best story ever?”
READ MORE: Too Hot To Handle makers announce new dating show The Love Trap hosted by Joel Dommett
Asked if he’d ever consider camera sex again, Joel said: “Absolutely not! I know it’s juicy gossip and fun for people but it’s such a horrendous thing to do to someone.
“I genuinely thought that was a private moment between me and someone else.”
He added: “I’ve never seen a video of myself doing that. You know how horrific that is? I can’t listen to my voice being recorded. Imagine watching yourself masturbate — it’s the worst thing in the world.”
Kudos to Joel for styling this one out and not only not parting with his cash but using the awful incident to make money for himself!
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