Strictly's John Whaite admits he 'regretted' joining OnlyFans

Strictly star John Whaite has reportedly revealed he regrets joining OnlyFans.

The former Bake Off winner signed up for the adults-only site last summer, telling fans that he wouldn’t be doing anything too racy but thought that his “cheekier gym-progress posts” might be better suited to a platform other than Instagram.

But he quit in October, after it was claimed that children could be exploited on the site.

Read more: John Whaite said Bake Off 'derailed' him from steady life path

Metro has now reported that Whaite said on Steph’s Packed Lunch that he “regretted” having signed up.

He also said he could have lost his job over it.

"Because of preconceived ideas but also because I joined OnlyFans after a mental breakdown after Strictly… it was to do with that and I don’t think I was in the best mind-set," he was quoted as saying.

The star said he had joined OnlyFans because he was “drunk on holiday and decided that it would be the way to have a bit of ownership of my career.”

He said it was actually “empowering” for him as it gave him the chance to say no.

He shared: “Like one guy wanted me to send him a picture of me smoking a cigarette in a leather jacket eating a packet of Walker’s salt and vinegar crisps and I said no because I’m more of a Pringles man!”

However, Whaite said that while it could be empowering it could give young people "a lack of direction”.

When the star quit the platform in October he posted a message on Instagram saying: “Following the news today alleging that users of the OnlyFans platform are still able to exploit young children, I have taken the decision to close down my account.

"While the claims are yet to be proven/refuted, I cannot morally continue to use a platform that is subject to such serious allegations. Exploitation of children is abhorrent and it is incumbent on corporations such as OnlyFans to ensure they have the most advanced filter systems in place to prevent and report such activity.”

The move came after a US investigator told the BBC that child abuse images that had originated on OnlyFans could be found.

OnlyFans CEO Amrapali Gan said in a statement: “We actively work with law enforcement. If anyone makes the mistake thinking they can upload illegal content, we will report them.

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"We’re truly the safest and most inclusive social media platform.”

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