Justin Lee Collins admits ‘slapping’ Anna Larke ‘to stop her self-harming’
IN evidence today (Tuesday) it was revealed that Justin Lee Collins admitted slapping ex-girlfriend Anna Larke to “stop her self-harming”.
The comic said Miss Larke, of Welwyn Garden City was a “compulsive liar” and “chronic alcoholic” who had threatened to kill herself. Collins, 38, of Kew West London, also described Miss Larke as a “sexual creature” with a “very chequered colourful [sexual] history”, which, he said made him worry about his health.
He said: “It wasn’t just sex, it was sex, cocaine and it was drink.”
Prosecutor Peter Shaw read out transcripts of Collins’ police interview tapes to St Albans Crown Court, they were recorded following the former Friday Night Project host’s arrest on October 2 last year.
The tapes revealed how Collins admitted lightly slapping Miss Larke as she relapsed tried to “gouge her wrist with a pen”.
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Collins denies harassing former girlfriend Miss Larke.
He told how Miss Larke had pursued him while he was trying to save his marriage, including one phone call made to the comic on his son Archie’s birthday.
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Collins said his weakened state at the break-up of his marriage meant that he rekindled his previous “inappropriate” relationship with Larke.
He denied attacking her when the couple on holiday in Miami last year.
Collins said: “She [Larke] threw an absolute fit and screamed the place down.”
And said it was Miss Larke’s idea to compile a list of all her previous sexual partners to allay his fears of catching a sexually transmitted disease and as an attempt at “therapising” and to “unload”.
Police confronted Collins with foul-mouthed recordings which Miss Larke had recorded secretly of a row between the couple.
And while Collins said it was not “nice to hear” he insisted he was “at my absolute lowest ebb, my absolute lowest ebb”.
On his admission to striking her he said: “I’ve gently tapped her I think on two occasions to prevent her from self-harming.”
As revealed in evidence yesterday Mr Collins also alleged Miss Larke had demanded: “Give me 20 grand to make me go away.”
Collins said he had spent around �25,000 on Miss Larke during the relationship on luxury holidays, gifts, rent on her flat in Hitchin and money for her to live on while she was unemployed.
Collins also explained how he was in therapy after the breakdown of his marriage and he his therapist had referred to him as a “rescuer”, to explain his attempts to wean Miss Larke off alcohol.
The trial continues.
