Labour minister Sir Chris Bryant broke down in tears as he described being left feeling like a ’16-year-old whore’ by Michael Croft, the founder of the National Youth Theatre
Sir Chris Bryant has said he was sexually abused as a teenager by the founder of the National Youth Theatre.
The Labour minister broke down in tears in an interview as he described being left feeling like a “16-year-old whore” by Michael Croft, the head of the prestigious drama group.
He told the Sunday Times that Mr Croft, who died in 1986, invited him to dinner every night when he was attending the company in London in the summer of 1978, aged 16.
Sir Chris claimed one night he went back to Mr Croft’s house, and came back from the toilet to find his host, who was 40 years his senior, naked except for a silk robe.
The MP said Mr Croft then asked him for sex, which he felt he had no option but to go through with.
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Speaking ahead of the release of his book ‘A Life And A Half: The Unexpected Making Of A Politician’, Sir Chris said: “I don’t like telling this very much because I’ve not told it very often.
“It was always the same Italian in King’s Cross. He would eat and drink, I would eat, then he would theoretically give me a lift home, except I always ended up at his house.”
Sir Chris says Mr Croft never made an advance towards him again, with the pair remaining friends. An ordained minister, he agreed to conduct Mr Croft’s funeral.
But he said he was angry over the abuse of power – and had internalised the shame.
“He behaved absolutely appallingly, it’s despicable,” Sir Chris said.
“Michael, in my case, managed to spot somebody who was gay at a time when nearly all homosexuality was illegal – certainly very frowned on – so presumed that people would keep a secret.”
He said at least one friend during his National Youth Theatre days was also abused by Mr Croft.
The 63-year-old also said he has been sexually assaulted by five male MPs during his time in Westminster, although he has not named or reported them.
“There was no system for doing so and I was frightened it would make me look bad,” he said. He said he felt homophobia in Parliament has declined during his 24 years as an MP.
A statement on the National Youth Theatre website said: “We are grateful to Chris Bryant for disclosing to our team the historical abuse he suffered in the company in the 1970s. We are very sorry that this happened to him and to others who have previously shared with us their accounts of historic abuse by the same perpetrator.
“As we set out in a public statement on the case in 2017, we stand in solidarity with all victims of abuse and encourage anyone who has experienced abuse, no matter how long ago, to speak to someone and access support.
“In this case the perpetrator has been deceased since 1986, but all reports made to us will be dealt with in accordance with our robust and formalised safeguarding policy and practice.
“While Chris writes he doesn’t feel damaged by what happened, we recognise that being subjected to an abuse of power can have lasting consequences for many, in different ways.
“Anyone getting in touch will be listened to and treated with care and respect by trained professionals, in line with our certified trauma-informed practice.
“We are grateful to Chris for his support of our organisation today, and acknowledgement of how different a charity we are in 2025 to the one he encountered in the 1970s, with thorough safeguarding practices and policies in place.”
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