Oritse Williams: JLS singer says he was ‘tormented’ by rape allegation

'I've had this accusation just hanging over my head every single day,' singer told Good Morning Britain

Former JLS star Oritse Williams has said he went through a “horrific” ordeal when he was accused of raping a woman in his hotel room after a solo gig.

Jurors unanimously cleared the singer in May after two hours and 17 minutes of deliberation, and he has since spoken to Good Morning Britain about the experience.

“It’s been horrific... I’ve had this accusation just hanging over my head every single day, from the time I wake up in the morning to the time I go to sleep at night.”

“It just completely tormented me,” he continued. “But I had two choices. Either I could let it drag me under and completely destroy me, or I could stay strong and hope tht the truth would eventually come out, which ultimately it did.”

He added that he sympathised with people who call for anonymity after being accused of rape “because of how it’s affected my life and my own experiences”.

“I absolutely would’ve wanted to have my name cleared as quickly as possible for me to be able to move forward with my life and my family,” he said.

“But at the same time we also have to be able to encourage real victims to come forward, we can’t forget about that as well so I think there has to be consideration on both sides.”

JLS shot to fame after finishing as runners-up to Alexandra Burke on the X-Factor in 2008, and went on to sell millions of records.

Oritse’s former bandmate Marvin Humes had earlier celebrated the verdict on social media, saying the verdict marked the end of “three years of hell” for his friend.