1. Olympic swimmer Susie O’Neill shares the disgusting comments Don Burke made to her in her own home.
Just one day after shocking allegations of sexual harassment and assault against Burke's Backyard presenter Don Burke were made public, champion swimmer Susie O'Neill has claimed she too was the subject of the 70-year-old's allegedly crude comments.
Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald journalist Kate McClymont - who published the damning reports yesterday - the eight-time Olympic gold medallist said she was harassed in her own home when the presenter interviewed her in the lead-up to the 2000 Olympics.
Now 44, O'Neill said there was no 'minder' present during the interview, as she had no reason to believe she would be threatened by the "genial gardener" and two male crew members.
"How dangerous could that be?" she said.
But when she showed off one of her favourite artworks in her home - a picture of a flower her husband had painted - Burke allegedly asked, "Is your c*** as big as that?"
"It was crude and it was belittling," O'Neill told The Sydney Morning Herald, adding she was "flabbergasted" by the TV star's comments.
She immediately called her manager at the time, Nick Cummins, who confirmed the swimmer's experience with Burke.
"She was intimidated by the crude sexual innuendo," he recalled to McClymont, adding he immediately called both Channel Nine and the presenter himself to address the incident.
"Burke was so convincing in his denials," he said.
"It has stayed with me all those years. It was such an injustice."
LISTEN: Mia Freedman speaks to Tracey Spicer, about her attempt to bring down the 'Harvey Weinstein's' of the Australian media. Post continues after.
According to McClymont, O'Neill is just one of many members of the public, former employees and media figures who have come forward in the 24 hours since allegations against Burke first went public.
Appearing on A Current Affair last night, Burke - while denying the allegations - claimed he had self-diagnosed Asperger's, which caused him to "miss all... body language and often the subtle signs that people give to you, like 'back off, that's enough'".
He also claimed that the allegations took place so long ago that "nobody could remember" events accurately and said it was up to the people of Australia to determine his guilt or innocence.
"I want to say to the people of Australia that this is their chance to judge," he told reporter Tracy Grimshaw.
"This is my story, make up your mind if I am the most evil person who has ever lived."
2. Prince Harry reveals he popped the question to Meghan Markle over a roast chicken.
After months of speculation, Kensington Palace has officially confirmed that 33-year-old Prince Harry and 36-year-old actress Meghan Markle are engaged.
Sharing the news on Twitter, the Palace also shared statements from Meghan's parents, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry's father, Prince Charles.
The couple also appeared at Kensington Palace shortly after the announcement to pose for their first official photos as an engaged couple, and to give the public a glimpse of Meghan's stunning engagement ring.
Prince Harry told the crowd that he knew Meghan was "the one" from "the very first moment we met".
In an interview with BBC, the pair revealed they were enjoying a "standard, typical night" roasting a chicken when Harry surprised Meghan with the proposal.
"It was just an amazing surprise... it was so sweet and natural," Meghan told BBC reporter Mishal Husain.
LISTEN: The Mamamia Out Loud team take a look at why it's taken so long for the pair to appear together in public. Post continues after.
The new names Meghan Markle will go by once she marries Prince Harry.
And yes, for all of those wondering, Harry did indeed get down on one knee when asking the actress to be his wife.
Meghan was given a stunning 2.5 carat diamond ring, made up of three stones, designed by Harry himself with the help of the Queen's official jeweller.
Two of the stones belonged to Harry's late mother, Princess Diana, while the third is from Botswana, where the couple visited earlier this year.
The pair are expected to marry early next year, with Kensington Palace confirming the wedding will take place in spring.
To read more about their first official interview, click here.
3. Victorian pet shops will soon be banned from selling pedigree puppies as part of an animal welfare crackdown.
New legislation due to be introduced into Victorian parliament today will ban pet shops from selling pedigree puppies, as part of a crackdown on animal welfare in the state.
According to The Herald Sun, 'hobby' breeders will also face tougher restrictions before they are able to sell dogs online.
From 2020, all large commercial dog breeders will only be able to own 50 dogs (down from 150) and will be subject to regular animal welfare inspections. Any breeder who wants to advertise puppies or kittens for sale online must also be part of a statewide register to be introduced in July 2019.
Pet shops will also only be able to sell dogs and cats sourced from shelters, pounds and enrolled foster carers, and will no longer stock animals from breeders.
RSPCA chief executive Liz Walker has praised the proposed changes.
"Right now, we can't account for where up to 70 per cent of the puppies born in Victoria every year have been bred — that's around 60,000 puppies a year," she told The Herald Sun.
"If we don't know where a kitten or pup was bred, we can't know what conditions they have been living in, it might be perfect or horrifically cruel."
4. The 50 best beaches in the world have been named... and an Aussie one nabbed the number two spot.
An Australian beached has narrowly missed out on the top spot in a list of the world's best and most beautiful beaches.
The list, released by FightNetwork and complied by more than 600 of the world's best travel journalist, bloggers, editors and agencies, is intended to show off a "diverse collection of off-the-beaten-path slices of paradise from every hidden corner of our planet."
Australia managed to nab two spots in the top ten, with Whitehaven Beach on Queensland's Whitsunday Island coming in at number two.
"Whitehaven Beach will make you believe in love at first sight," FlightNetwork said.
"This stretch of sand backed by tree-covered mountains is a heaven on earth which one must see to believe."
New South Wales' Hyams Beach was named the eighth best beach in the world, with travel professionals praising it's white sands and crystal clear waters.
The top beach in the world was named as Grace Bay in Turks and Caicos, with bloggers heralding it as the "most iconic and awe-inspiring stretch of sand in the world."
To read the full list of the world's best beaches, click here.
5. "You killed my son": Mother of murdered toddler Mason Lee erupts in court.
The mother of Queensland toddler Mason Lee has been dragged from the dock after accusing her former partner of killing her son, whose body was riddled with injuries when he died, AAP reports.
Flanked by four corrective services officers, Anne Maree Lee screamed and lunged at William Andrew O'Sullivan after hearing how her lifeless child was handed over a fence to a paramedic in the early hours of June 11, 2016.
"Child killer, you're a child killer! I hate you! He killed my son," Lee said.
It was the second outburst by Lee on Monday in the Brisbane Magistrates Court, which is hearing evidence to determine if she, O'Sullivan and teenager Ryan Robert Barry Hodson should stand trial for manslaughter.
The court has heard Mason's tiny body was covered in injuries when the 21-month-old died from a rupture to his small intestine that allowed faecal matter to fatally contaminate his bloodstream.
Forensic pathologist Christopher Day testified it was not possible to determine when the blunt force trauma was inflicted on Mason's abdomen or whether it was caused by a pressurised, squeezing or crushing action.
The first paramedic on the scene said he believed Mason had been dead for at least 30 minutes when he arrived at 12.45am at the Caboolture home where the boy was staying.
The paramedic testified Mason was wearing a white singlet covered in faecal matter and had obvious injuries to his face.
He said the boy also had a tear to his anus, something he believed could have been caused by a "five to six-centimetre object".
O'Sullivan could be seen clasping his hands in front of his face with his eyes closed and rocking side to side as the paramedic testified over the phone.
Lee remained visibly distraught throughout the hearing and was restrained by security earlier after turning on her former partner, who alongside her, is also charged with cruelty to children under 16 years.
"What did you do to my son, you f***ing ... you killed my son," Lee said.
A total of 12 medical experts and another witness are expected to give evidence at the two-day hearing.
6. Triple J has officially confirmed their annual Hottest 100 countdown will no longer take place on Australia Day.
Public radio broadcaster, Triple J, revealed yesterday they have made the decision to move their popular Hottest 100 countdown from Australia Day in 2018.
The countdown, which celebrates the top 100 songs from the past year as voted by listeners, will next year move from Friday the 26th of January, to Saturday the 27th of January.
The move comes after much debate surrounding support to change the date of Australia Day, which is referred to as 'Invasion Day' by Indigenous Australians.
"In recent years the Hottest 100 has become a symbol in the debate about Australia Day," the station shared in a statement.
"The Hottest 100 wasn't created as an Australia Day celebration. It was created to celebrate your favourite songs of the past year.
"It should be an event that everyone can enjoy together – for both the musicians whose songs make it in and for everyone listening in Australia and around the world. This is really important to us."
Before making the decision, Triple J and the ABC surveyed 64,990 people as to whether they would like to see the countdown's date moved from Australia Day.
An independent research company found that 60 per cent of those surveyed were in favour of the move.