Daily Express Monday, April 6, 2020 17By News ReporterBy Cyril DixonFORMER MP Lembit
Opik has split from his
fiancee over trips with a
glamorous Russian.
The Lib-Dem, 55, has
moved out of the luxury
home he shares with
Bulgarian lawyer Sabina
Vankova.
Sabina is said to have
asked him to leave after
he went with Natalia
Khomutinnkova to Paris,
Milan and Nice.
She was told he was
going on trips for the
space colonisation group
Asgardia he works for.
But Sabrina became
suspicious after she saw
what looked like holiday
snaps of them together
and flip-flops in
his luggage.
The 36-year-old, who
has a daughter aged two
with Lembit, said: “I
don’t want to keep
quiet any more. I wish I
had never got involved
with him.”
He has dated TV
weather girl Sian Lloyd
and pop star Gabriela
Irimia, and lost his seat
in Parliament in 2010.
Lembit could not be
contacted for comment.It’s all over...ex-MP Opik/HPELWLQ
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AN EXECUTIVE who was branded
“camp” by colleagues and suffered
gay taunts at work has been
awarded a £174,000 payout by an
employment tribunal.
Peter Allen was subjected to limp-
wristed hand gestures and sent
emails featuring stereotypical gay
characters with comments directed
at him, while working for Paradigm
Precision Ltd, a company making
jet engine parts.
A passport photo of him with “I
love” written underneath was left
out at work for him to find. He was
also asked what “type” of man he
liked at a work do.
An employment judge also found
that the firm turned Mr Allen down
for promotions because his bosses
expected him to take extra leave
after adopting a child.
He was later “isolated” while hisclaims were being investigated,
before leaving the company in
November 2018, when he was
constructively unfairly dismissed.
Mr Allen earned nearly £74,000 a
year at Paradigm Precision as qual-
ity director for nearly five years.
In a decision handed down after
the hearing in Manchester,
Employment Judge Mark Leach,
found the firm was guilty of the
discrimination, harassment and
victimisation of Mr Allen on
grounds of sexual orientation.
He said: “[Mr Allen] was rejected
by [Paradigm Precision] as
operations director and then as a
candidate for the position of general
manager of its Burnley site.
“He was told that he was ‘camp’
on or about March 12 and variousother dates between March 12 and
June 5, 2018.
“He was subject to limp-wristed
hand gestures directed towards him
on a number of occasions.
“He was sent an email depicting
stereotypical gay characters with
comments directed at the claimant.
“A copy of a passport photograph
of himself with ‘I love’ handwritten
underneath it, was left in the work-
place for the claimant to see.
“He was asked what his favourite
‘type’ of man was at a works event.
“He was isolated by [Paradigm
Precision] between late August
2018 and late October 2018 during
a grievance process and the appoint-
ment of a temporary replacement.
“The claimant succeeds in his
claim of constructive unfair
dismissal.”
Employment Judge Leach added:“The claimant succeeds in his claim
against the first respondent, that he
was subjected to a detriment
because he sought to take
additional adoption leave and/or
because the first respondent
believed that the claimant was likely
to take additional adoption leave, in
that he was rejected as operations
director and then as a candidate
for general manager of the
first respondent.”
The payout, totalling £174,645,
includes £26,300 for “injury
towards feelings”. Mr Allen was also
awarded sums for notice period,
pension, past and future losses, fail-
ure by the company to follow ACAS
procedures and interest.
Other claims of harassment,
victimisation, detrimental treatment
and direct discrimination
were dismissed.going to be destiny.” Joe,
known as The Body Coach,
broadcasts PE classes
from the south west London
home he shares with model
wife Rosie, 29, and
children, Indie, 18 months,
and three-month-old Marley,
to millions of youngsters
every day.
The father-of-two says he
is now better able to cope
with his father’s addictions,
which he said still sees him
battle with depression and
smoking cannabis.
He added: “I don’t look
back at the past. I don’t judge
my dad and think: ‘I had a
really rough upbringing and
it was terrible’ - I just love
him right now. That’s a
beautiful thought.”OPINION: PAGE 12Gym guru Joe’s
childhood vow
of drug-free life
FITNESS coach Joe Wicks
vowed drug addiction would
not be his “path” while
growing up with a heroin
addict father.
The exercise guru now has
a “great relationship” with
his father, Gary, a roofer, but
admits his dad was absent a
lot during his childhood, as
he battled addictions.
Joe, 33, and his older
brother Nikki, purposely
avoided drugs while growing
up – crediting mum Raquela
with teaching the pair “right
and wrong” while Gary was
“in and out of rehab”.
Joe said: “Because of my
dad’s addiction, and the
damage I saw it cause, me
and Nikki steered clear of it.
“We weren’t smoking weed- we were training, exercising
and playing sport.
“Somewhere along the
line, I decided that wasn’t
Body
coaching...
Joe leads a
daily PE
class from
his living
room to
millions of
school
children
and
parents
By Ashleigh RainbirdPicture: SAMIR HUSSEIN/WIREIMAGE0DMRULW\
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ODQGDMRE
NEARLY two-thirds of job
seekers admit telling brazen lies
on their CV to get a better job.
A fifth say they were not
straight about their skills, while
nearly a quarter told porkies
about their experience.
A further 20 per cent said
they had lied about their
professional qualifications –
but only two per cent played
fast and loose over their
academic qualifications.
However, some did confess to
embellishing their background
on their CV. Workers from
Yorkshire and Humberside were
most likely to doctor it.
Commercial property agents
Savoy Stewart, who quizzed
3,126 adults, called the poll
“astonishing”, saying it
highlighted “just how rife CV
lying is, and it doesn’t seem to
be diminishing”.