Charles Hanson: I was a slave to my wife, says Bargain Hunt host accused of assaulting her
Bargain Hunt star Charles Hanson told a court he was a “slave” to his wife and completely under her control.
The auctioneer, on trial accused of assaulting Rebecca, said he was “beaten and broken” when he sent text messages apologising for his behaviour and simply “tapped every word she wanted to hear”.
Hanson, 46, told jurors she told him he was ‘rubbish’ every day, shunned him for five years because she thought he had athlete’s foot and refused to let him choose what they watched on TV or read in bed.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.The court heard yesterday that Hanson had also written to Derbyshire police asking them to stop investigating him due to doubts about his wife’s mental health.
Stephen Kemp, prosecuting, accused Hanson of seeking to portray radiographer Rebecca, 42, as a “fantasist” who was “prone to histrionics” in a bid to get her case thrown out.
Asked if he was a man who liked getting his own way, Hanson told the court: “I never got my own way. I could never choose what we watched on TV. Most nights she would say you have athlete’s foot, don’t come near me”.
Hanson, who runs an auction house in Derbyshire and is a regular on Bargain Hunt, Antiques Road Trip and Flog It!, is accused of pushing, grabbing, scratching and holding his wife in a headlock between December 2015 and June 2023.
He denies the charges.
He was arrested at the couple’s £1.5 million home in Derbyshire in June 2023.
Asked about messages he sent to his wife apologising for his behaviour, Hanson said they were “not the truth” but an attempt to tell his wife what she wanted to hear: “I was at the mercy of [her] behaviour and controlling demeanour ... I was under her control.
“She ridiculed me, told me that I was rubbish every day.
“I just felt almost a slave to her and I had no option, but just almost in a way to adopt what she was saying and to appease her. I have tapped every word she wanted to hear.
“I was a beaten and broken man.”
The trial continues.
If you or someone you know is experiencing family violence, phone 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) or the Crisis Care Helpline on 1800 199 008.
