THE wife of Grimsby MP Austin Mitchell has spoken of her shock at discovering her former colleague at the BBC, Stuart Hall, was a paedophile.
Linda McDougall worked with Hall at the BBC studios in Manchester in the 1960s.
She said she was "sickened" to discover children were involved.
Hall today admitted 14 charges of indecently assaulting girls, including one aged just nine. The 83-year-old admitted the charges involving 13 victims, at Preston Crown Court.
In an interview with the BBC, Linda said: "Frankly he was a nuisance. It is difficult to look back so far when it was 40 years ago."
The MP's wife said her policy was to ignore the advances and try to make a joke of it.
She added: "I am terribly sad now knowing there were children involved. That was not anything that was known about then."
The two worked in the BBC newsroom in Piccadilly, Manchester, where Hall had the old medical room to "entertain female friends in the afternoons," told Linda.
She said:"He had lady friends who came and went and he occupied them in the afternoon. We all made jokes about it. But it was such a nuisance."
She added: "I am shocked children were involved. I feel sickened."
Hall's offences occurred between 1967 and 1985.
Three charges of indecent assault and one of rape will lie on the court file.
Lawyers for the TV presenter, who apologised to his victims, adding: "He is all too aware that his disgrace is complete."
Sentencing will be on 17 June and he has been bailed.
Leaving court Hall, of Wilmslow, Cheshire, who previously had described the allegations as "pernicious and spurious", was pressed by reporters for an apology but said: "I've got a very heavy cold. I have no comment to make at all."
It's A Knockout visited Cleethorpes in 1978, staged at the old Cleethorpes Bathing Pool. But Hall only appeared when Cleethorpes went on to take part in a live BBC1 European finals at the Lincoln Showground later that year.
