Women Claim CBC Host Used Teddy Bear in Assault

The allegations against former CBC host Jian Ghomeshi are building, in number and in detail. The Toronto Star reports it has now spoken to eight women who say Ghomeshi abused or sexually harassed them over a period running from 2002 to the present. Among the more bizarre allegations: Two women who claim to have been physically assaulted say that while at his home, he introduced them to a teddy bear in his bedroom named Big Ears Teddy. They say the former Q host then told them "Big Ears Teddy shouldn't see this," rotated the bear's face away from them, and then began to choke or hit them. Gawker points out that someone tweeted seven times under the handle @bigearsteddy in April.

Among the tweets: "THIS JUST IN: @jianghomeshi the real life monster behind britney spears smash 'Hit me baby one more time'. #hideyourkids #hideyourwife." Meanwhile, Lucy DeCoutere, described as a popular TV actress in Canada, says she was one of the women who was choked—so hard that she was unable to breathe—making her the first accuser to reveal her identity. She recounts a 2003 incident that she says began with the two of them kissing at his home and ended with Ghomeshi slapping her three times. (Another woman the Star spoke with describes being punched three times.) Ghomeshi doesn't dispute his interest in "adventurous forms of sex that included role-play, dominance, and submission," but he maintains all encounters were consensual. He's suing the CBC for $55 million. Click for more on the dark allegations against Ghomeshi.