BBC’s Martin Bashir is a toad & took advantage of Princess Di & turned me into world’s most hated man, says James Hewitt

JAMES Hewitt has slammed rogue BBC newsman Martin Bashir for taking vantage of Princess Diana — and turning him into the “most hated antheral successful the world”.

He branded the journalist a “toad” for tricking her into confirming their extramarital matter successful the 1995 Panorama interview.

While discussing her achy break-up with Prince Charles, Diana acknowledged the five-year narration with the erstwhile Army serviceman — which had ended successful 1991.

She admitted to Mr Bashir: “Yes, I was successful emotion with him, but I was precise fto down.”

An enquiry aboriginal recovered the shamed presenter utilized “deceitful means” to triumph the chat — which included drip feeding Diana mendacious accusations astir her unit and friends.

James, 66, present moving with a foundation helping Ukrainians reason Russian despot Vladimir Putin, is inactive angered by Mr Bashir’s behaviour and the consequences of it.

He told The Sun connected Sunday: “I deliberation the chap needs to earnestly hunt his conscience. To bash it by deception is unforgivable and determination is precise small roadworthy backmost from that.

“I don’t cognize him personally, but I deliberation immoderate underhandedness — and peculiarly if it’s taking vantage of someone’s weakness and being a toad — is wrong. It did impact maine and it had a immense effect.”

James says helium present hopes the ­revelations astir Mr Bashir enactment the communicative a antithetic discourse present for the nationalist to understand.

He said: “I anticipation radical realise that the full of the programme should beryllium seen for what it was — and that was to deceive idiosyncratic into saying things and doing things that they whitethorn not needfully person been consenting to accidental had each the facts been known.

“It was not bully for anybody but BBC figures and Martin Bashir’s career.

“It wasn’t exposing anything, it was conscionable utilizing lies and half-truths.”

He claims the backlash turned him into an planetary pariah — and near a imperishable stain connected his reputation.

He was adjacent plagued by rumours helium was Prince Harry’s existent father — contempt his insistence helium and Diana archetypal met successful 1986 — 2 years aft Harry’s birth.

An autarkic probe successful 2021 by Supreme Court Judge John Dyson recovered Mr Bashir, 61, had been “devious” and “dishonest” successful his dealings with Diana.

Speaking astatine a edifice adjacent his location successful Devon, James says being known arsenic Diana’s person — and branded a “cad” — meant helium was ne'er capable to settee down and person children of his own.

He said: “I bash regret not having a much mean beingness successful that respect — a palmy matrimony and children that mightiness person gone connected to beryllium successful.”

He says helium inactive does not regularisation retired starting a household but admits “it’s ­difficult to envisage now”.

Independent investigation

He adds: “I bash deliberation I’ve missed retired connected that. I would person liked to person had children but determination we are, you can’t person everything successful life.”

Asked wherefore helium remained single, helium said: “I deliberation it’s beauteous evident fixed my history, and the difficulties thereafter, and having been the astir hated idiosyncratic successful the world.”

James has besides had immoderate superior wellness traumas to woody with.

He ­suffered a changeable successful 2017 aft having to acquisition unfastened bosom surgery.

His relatives were warned helium lone had a 20 per cent accidental of surviving aft helium fell earnestly sick with a bacteria corruption which impacted a valve successful his heart.

He recalls of the operation: “It caused a changeable and it took a agelong clip to recuperate from that.

“It near maine paralysed connected my left-hand broadside and it took astir six months to get immoderate feeling back.

“I besides had a septic embolism and mislaid a clementine-sized shot from the frontal lobe of my brain.

“I was successful infirmary for astir 5 months and I deliberation that was the hardest happening I’ve ever been through. But I was lucky. Had they not got maine erstwhile they did, I would not person survived much than 1 much day, possibly less.”

James has present spent the past 2 years taking portion successful unsafe assistance missions to Ukraine.

He has been progressive arsenic a operator and fund-raiser with the Make A Difference Foundation foundation and its Operation SafeDrop — making assistance drops and evacuating much than 3,000 radical to safety.

He said: “I consciousness similar I’ve been fixed a caller lease of life. I’ve got to effort to beryllium a spot amended this clip astir and a spot much useful. I didn’t privation to beryllium sitting astatine location connected the sofa watching tv and shouting astatine it each clip Putin’s disfigured mug came on.”

He is acceptable for his 16th assistance driblet successful January and relishes the enactment with the organisation, which helium believes has proven utile for the UN and Red Cross.

He said: “We person done worldly for them that they are incapable to do, understandably, arsenic they can’t person their radical excessively adjacent the beforehand — and we are prepared to bash that.

“I support that the astir unsafe happening we bash is the driving due to the fact that it’s a long, agelong mode from the Polish borderline to the beforehand line.

But if we don’t halt him, Putin volition beryllium encouraged to bash much and it’s a conflict betwixt bully and evil.

“You could not find a starker illustration of that. Putin is simply a bully and a thug and you person to deliberation astir the wider geopolitical effect as, if we springiness up connected Ukraine, it volition promote China.

“Time is earnestly moving retired and watching Remembrance Day past week — and reasoning of each the radical that person died warring for state — made maine wonderment if we should beryllium doing more.”

• TO enactment Operation SafeDrop visit: https://www.justgiving.com/page/jameshewitt