Actor Simon Rex is coming forward admitting that a British tabloid offered him thousands of dollars to lie about his and Meghan Markle‘s past. Rex is saying he was offered a bribe of $70,000 to exaggerate his and Markle’s relationship, which never went past a lunch as friends.
“Nothing happened. We never even kissed,” he revealed on an episode of the Hollywood Raw podcast. “It was just, like, we hung out once in a very non-datey way. She was just someone I had met on a TV show and we got lunch. That was the extent of it.” He said the two met while working on the series Cuts back in 2005. Rex was labeled by a number of British tabloids as one of the Suits actress’s ex-boyfriends along with a slew of other men. The 45-year-old recalls the time a story broke by The Sun claiming that he had “ruined his chances” with her after she found out about his past as an adult film star.
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“When that story broke, a couple British tabloids offered to pay me a lot of money to say a lie that we actually hooked up,” he explained. “I said no to a lot of money because I didn’t feel right lying and f—ing up the royal f—ing family.”
As a result of how Markle and husband Prince Harry have been treated by the British media, Harry chose to speak out against it, just before the couple took legal action against a few outlets, saying he didn’t want to repeat history, meaning what happened to his mother Princess Diana. “I have been a silent witness to her private suffering for too long. To stand back and do nothing would be contrary to everything we believe in. There comes a point when the only thing to do is stand up to this behavior, because it destroys people and destroys lives.”
The couple announced they would be stepping down as senior level royals earlier this year, which shocked the world. Both Markle and Harry finished up their last rounds of royal visits this month and will now officially be residing in Canada. It was also announced that the Queen had requested they not use their title of “Duke and Duchess of Sussex” anymore, but are still loved members of the royal family.
Since their move, the two seem to be enjoying their time outside of the royal walls. Markle has been seen driving herself around and running errands again, while Harry has been photographed picking up his own sandwiches at a nearby shop.
