LADBABY has broken his silence on his historic groping accusations, also revealing he was forced to call in anti-terror police after charity backlash.
Back in 2022, the influencer was accused of wrapping his arms around an unknown woman and rubbing up against her in a Nottingham club in the 18-second video shared online.
LadBaby, 37, real name Mark Hoyle, and his wife Roxanne claim they were sent the video before it was circulated on social media, with the pair blackmailed for £10,000 to prevent it being released.
While they ignored the message, hoping the hoaxer wouldn’t keep their word, the couple were left devastated when it was published months later.
In the video, the woman danced between the man’s legs as he sat on a stool and stroked her thighs before she walked away.
There was no suggestion the touching is non-consensual.
The woman in the short clip, which was later deleted from TikTok for ‘violating its content terms’, did not appear to be Roxanne.
Speaking to The Guardian in a new interview, they both agreed that they hadn’t coped well with the fallout.
Mark said: “We were lucky we had each other – that’s what we’ve always said about LadBaby, the good and the bad.”
Roxanne added: “We’ve been accused of things before, and we’re just like, we’ll get through this one. That’s how we are now – we’re quite resilient people.”
They, indeed, found themselves at the receiving end of further allegations over the profits on their Christmas No1s.
The YouTubers have claimed the top spot on the UK Singles Chart each year from 2018 to 2022 with their novelty songs, We Built This City, I Love Sausage Rolls, Don’t Stop Me Eatin’, Sausage Rolls for Everyone and Food Aid.
Part of their success is down to profits going to the food bank charity, The Trussell Trust.
So, when unfounded claims about the destination of raised funds emerged, Mark was forced to call in the cops.
Roxanne said: “I don’t think people realise the impact of that level of trolling, where the police came to support us through that time.”
While they received threats, with trolls claiming to know where they lived, things came to a head when Mark was confronted in a pub and had to be escorted to safety by bouncers.
He reflected: “We didn’t know how to [handle] it. And quite often, you don’t want to make the situation worse, and so you don’t do anything.”
Mark began to suffer from panic attacks and, eventually, the police took the threats seriously.
And, at one point, anti-terror officers were assigned to advise the Hoyles at their home.
The mum-of-two is set to release an autobiography alongside Mark that lays bare the “obstacles they’ve overcome” to become two of the most prominent personalities on social media.
Titled, Our LadBaby Journey: Success, Sacrifice and Sausage Rolls, it will be available for all to read on November 7.
Roxanne and Mark have pulled back the curtain on how they came from nothing to achieve success against all odds.
The couple shot to fame thanks to their parenting hacks and prank videos shared on social media.
However, it hasn’t all been glamour and laughter – in fact, the couple were once living on £20 a week.
And Roxanne told Fabulous last year that she’s had to put food back on the supermarket shelves to afford nappies.
Now, she has over 1.3 million followers on Instagram and has made a living out of being silly online with Mark and their sons – Phoenix, eight, and Kobe, six.
Taking to the app last month, Roxanne broke down in tears ahead of the big book launch.
“To be totally honest, I still can’t believe in two weeks time a story about our life will be out there for people to read,” she penned.
“We are a positive family and our story is about never giving up, but we’ve had obstacles we’ve had to overcome that we never thought would come from living our lives online.
“It’s been an emotional rollercoaster where we’ve laughed and cried.
“But as we get closer to everyone reading it, I realise how bloody proud I am of all we have accomplished and the mark we’ve left on the world.”
Alongside five Christmas number ones about sausage rolls, partnerships with the likes of Jet2 and Smyths Toys, and a collection of children’s books, the LadBaby brand has done a lot.
Their tell-all autobiography is their most vulnerable project to date.
According to Mark, he and Roxanne were “so nervous” about announcing their new book, which they’ve wanted to write “for a really long time”.
The tome will cover the pair’s rise to fame, the start of their parenting journey, their epic Christmas single successes and how they became Guinness World Record breakers.
It will also discuss Roxanne’s decision to walk away from a six-figure deal with In The Style, after releasing numerous hit ranges with the clothing brand.
