Danielle Mason has claimed that she was sexually assaulted by her ex-fiancé Lee Dopson after her engagement party last November.
Taking to Instagram, the 42-year-old star, whose half-sister is Eastenders’ Jessie Wallace, shared an image of her face alongside a series of stories detailing her legal troubles with Lee, 45, who she served a non-royal order on last week.
Danielle told the Daily Mail that the image of her facial injuries came from the night of the couple’s engagement party in November 2024, when the couple hosted a lavish bash at the DoubleTree by Hilton St Annes Wokingham.
Danielle, who began dating Lee in 2023 after meeting at a supermarket during their respective school runs, told her 46.3km followers that she felt compelled to address the issue after Lee posted his demands on social media.
Meanwhile, Lee posted a video montage of her face with various bruises, which Danielle told the Daily Mail was the result of self-defense during the attack.
Danielle Mason has claimed she was sexually assaulted by her ex-fiancé Lee Dopson after he shared a picture of her face alongside videos detailing his legal battles on Instagram on Monday night.
Danielle told the Daily Mail that the image of her facial injuries came from the night of the couple’s engagement party in November 2024, when the couple hosted a lavish bash at the DoubleTree by Hilton St Annes Wokingham (pictured at the party)
In her stories, she insisted that Lee had violated a restraining order, which is a court order (the couple pictured last year)
The Daily Mail has contacted Lee for comment.
In May, Danielle confirmed that she had split from Gardenscapes when she revealed that she was “entering a new chapter in her life,” however, she had never spoken about the complexities of the split until her comments on Monday night.
The couple both have children from previous relationships, with Danielle sharing two children, aged 12 and 10, with her ex-husband Tony Gill, with whom she starred in the hit Channel 4 show My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding.
Danielle shared an image of her face with a fat lip, a scratch across her chin, and a swollen nose with “engagement” written across it.
In her stories, Danielle spoke to the camera, saying, “Right obviously I don’t want to take social media for personal matters, but obviously sometimes in life you have incidents that are one behind closed doors…
“I have had an incident where I had to be unwelcome, which was granted to me last week at Slough Court. I am not sure why the person I did it to felt the need to go after me more, but it is becoming a bit of a joke now, so I have spoken to my chastity today…
“Maybe I don’t know, haven’t you been given your own non-brick? …
“I’m not sure, but from someone who has done the things you’ve done to a woman and then you have the cheek to go and post that you’re some kind of innocent party, that doesn’t sit well with me, and I’m on a stage where I’m happy to express all the truths.”
Danielle spoke on her Instagram stories about the night in question and their legal battle
Meanwhile, Lee posted a video montage of his face with various bruises, which Danielle told the Daily Mail were the result of self-defense during the attack.
Danielle and Lee posed for romantic pictures at an event before the alleged attack
In May, Danielle confirmed that she had split from the garden scene when she revealed that she had “entered a new chapter in her life,” however, she had never spoken about the complexities of the split until her comments on Monday night (the couple announcing their engagement)
Danielle is pictured with her soap star half-sister Jessie Wallace in 2019
In another duet of stories, she spoke to the camera again, saying, “I’m not sure why you think it’s okay to demoralize a woman with everything you’ve done and then take it to social media to put her down even more…
“The reason you weren’t charged for what you did is because I refused to make statements, but I’m happy to receive non-humor, so I understand you want to post on social because you wanted some attention – I don’t want that attention…
“But still, if you’re going to put out something as serious as that, then I’m happy to come forward and put out the truth…
“Another thing I will say is, as someone who has been through this, you will understand how painful it is when some people know what you’ve been through and you still stand by that abusive person and people know what’s going on and you still stand by them to save face for your family…
In the video, she spoke openly about her grief
She rounded off her stories by writing a message that simply read: “I didn’t want to speak out, but I’m being pushed now”
“It’s so painful, but once you get past the first couple of months and beyond, strength comes out, and I now see why so many women don’t talk about what they’ve been through.”
She rounded out her stories by writing a message simply reading: “I didn’t want to speak out, but now I’m being pushed.”
A non-combat order is a court order under the Family Law Act 1996 in the UK that protects a “related person” and/or any children from harassment by the respondent, including violence, threats, harassment or pestering…
To apply, you must have a qualifying relationship with the respondent and a complete FL401 form on Gov.uk with a witness statement detailing the reasons for your need.
The provision may: “prohibit the respondent from using or threatening violence against you or the children, prohibit the respondent from contacting, harassing, or saturating you or the children directly or indirectly.
“Prohibit respondent from visiting specific properties or areas, prohibit respondent from encouraging a third party to engage in any of the prohibited activities.”
