Two days after it emerged that Julio Iglesias had been accused of sexual and physical assault by two former employees, the Spanish singer denied all the allegations.
"With deep regret, I respond to the accusations made by two people who previously worked at my home. I deny having abused, coerced or disrespected any woman. These accusations are absolutely false and cause me great sadness,” the 82-year-old wrote in Spanish on social media. "I had never experienced such malice, but I still have the strength for people to know the full truth and to defend my dignity against such a serious affront."
© Getty ImagesHe concluded: "I cannot forget the many, many dear people who have sent me messages of affection and loyalty; I have found great comfort in them."
The Spanish singer, 82, is at the center of a case filed by rights group Women's Link Worldwide on behalf of two women, identified by the pseudonyms Rebeca and Laura, after a three-year investigation by US broadcaster Univision and Spanish outlet elDiario.es. The complaint involves allegations of human trafficking for forced labour and servitude, sexual abuse, and violations of workers' rights.
HELLO!'s parent publication HOLA! spoke with the singer after the allegations were made public, reporting that the singer was hoping to "get to the bottom of this matter" and would share more details of the "true circumstances and the real story of what happened."
The publication also added that those close to the singer, such as his son, singer Enrique Iglesias, were avoiding making any public statements, but stood firm with Julio.
© WireImageThe allegations date back to 2021, and reportedly took place at his residences in Punta Cana, in the Dominican Republic, and the Bahamas. At a Madrid press briefing, Minister Elma Saiz shared that they would conduct their investigation into the matter "to the very end" and leave "no room for impunity in any area of society."
In a statement shared via the nongovernmental organization Women's Link Worldwide, Rebeca wrote that she is "doing this to get justice for three reasons."
© Getty Images"The first is for myself: for how difficult this process has been and for everything I have had to face in order to overcome it. The second is for the women who work in his homes: I want to tell them to be strong, to raise their voices, to remember that he is not invincible. And the third, for my country [the Dominican Republic]: so that something like this never happens again and so that he understands that he cannot come and do whatever he wants without facing the consequences," she wrote.
"My goal is to ensure that no woman ever suffers this kind of abuse from him again. I want to send the message that women are victims and survivors, not perpetrators or guilty parties," Laura wrote in her statement.
© Getty ImagesJulio is one of the world's best-selling musicians of all time, and has been recognized as the most commercially successful Latin male artist and Spanish musician of all time. He has been performing for seven decades, after rising to prominence when he represented Spain at Eurovision in 1970 with the song "Gwendolyne".
He broke through into the mainstream with the release of 1984's 1100 Bel Air Place, his first record to largely consist of songs in English and one of his best-selling LPs to date. His latest album was 2017's México & Amigos.
Julio has been married twice and has eight children, including Enrique, who is also one of the best-selling Latin music artists of all time.
