“We were in that boardroom. We were all having drinks and relaxing, and I was in the middle of it all when Chris came lurching and swaying up to me, clearly already a bit drunk,” she explained.
“I’m paraphrasing here, but he said something along the lines of ‘I want to f*** you. You’re f***ing hot’, and then I looked down, his pants zip is undone, and his penis is hanging out.
“I was shocked and disgusted that he did this to me because I had done some good work at Nine and thought Chris respected me.
“To this day, I have a photographic image of that incident in my mind because it was so distressing. I’d liked and respected him as my boss, and for him to do this to me was a tremendous shock and personal insult.”
The woman said Smith allegedly pushed her to the wall as she tried to leave the situation.
“I remember saying, ‘What are you doing? Why are you doing this to me? This is wrong,’ and I tried to get away from him by walking around the corner, only to see that he was not taking no for an answer and had followed me,” she told the publication.
The woman claimed he again pushed her up against a wall as his penis was “hanging out” and told her how much he “wanted” her.
She told the Daily Telegraph that she managed to push him away and run to the other side of the room where she found Kim (not her real name), who was a receptionist at Nine and the other woman to receive a payout.
She told Kim what had happened, with the woman saying she was so upset that her “hands were shaking”.
Smith then allegedly attempted to approach the woman again, with his penis still on show, before a senior staff member pulled him out of the boardroom.
Smith was not immediately sacked over the incident, which angered the woman.
“I expected Chris would be sacked, but they said they would take his car away from him for six months and ban him from going to the Channel 9 bar. That was the punishment. It was a slap on the wrist!” she said.
The woman said there were no adequate sexual harassment policies at Channel 9 and as part of the settlement they had to rewrite their policy.
“I also wanted a public apology from Chris to the staff that were in attendance — and they did tell me this took place,” she said.
News.com.au has contacted Channel 9 for comment.
Smith, 60, was fired from Sky News Australia and radio station 2GB this week after being accused of lewd behaviour during Sky’s end-of-year celebrations that left one staffer in tears.
Luxury Mediterranean cruise firm Travelrite International – who employed Smith as a “celebrity guest” – also showed him the door.
The great unravelling came after Sky News Australia’s Christmas party was held at The Ivy Sunroom on George St in the Sydney CBD, where it was alleged he grabbed a woman’s bottom and made lewd comments to another about recent holiday photos posted to social media.
A witness said Smith used the word “sexy” multiple times, as well as “side boob”.
A source told the Daily Telegraph that Smith entered the event “like a dinosaur with a huge ego”.
“He was actually thinking these women would be interested in him. It is revolting.”
Smith was also suspended by 2GB following the station’s 2009 Christmas party after behaving inappropriately towards several women, trying to kiss one.
In a gushing apology on Monday, Smith said he had “dropped the ball”.
“I am beyond gutted and devastated to know I have upset my colleagues after our Christmas party,” Smith said.
“I apologise profusely to the women I upset. That’s not the man I am at work, ever, as they will all attest. They have been so supportive to me and do not deserve such drunken treatment.
“I have a recurring problem with alcohol – it sends me manic. I am in a facility receiving professional help to deal conclusively with my abuse of alcohol and solve this once and for all, without qualification – it can and will be done.
“I am also terribly upset about humiliating myself with people I respect and admire. I have been blessed to call them close colleagues.
“I pride myself on my professionalism and work ethic, but I have dropped the ball and embarrassed many people, including those I love most – my family. I am very sorry.”
No charges have ever been laid against Smith and he’s not accused of any criminal wrongdoing.
