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A Kyle and Jackie O Show producer went to extraordinary lengths to secure Australian breakdancer Rachael “Raygun” Gunn on the radio show, it was revealed on Friday.
The 36-year-old, who lost her three battles in the Olympics debut of the breaking event but gained worldwide attention, had remained quiet post-Olympics until she broke her silence with a statement on Thursday.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Rachael Gunn mocked on American late-night TV.
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Gunn posted a video to her Instagram to address the backlash and harassment she has received.
In the video, she said: “I’d really like to ask the press to please stop harassing my family, my friends, the Australian breaking community and the broader dance community.”
Radio hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie “O” Henderson realised Friday morning that her statement may have been pointed to one producer in general.
while discussing her statement, Intern Pete, whose real name is Pete Deppeler, piped up and revealed the great lengths he went to in order secure an interview with the breakdancer — although his efforts failed.
“Well, I’ve been trying to get Raygun on the show since the story broke,” Deppeler said.
A confused Sandilands asked: “Who have you been ringing?”
“Well, I’ve called her mum. A lot. Like really, a lot,” the producer said. “Over 600 times!”
“If Bev’s listening, good morning, Bev. I know you haven’t replied to my messages.”
“Have you really rung that poor kid’s mother 600 times?” Sandilands asked.
“Well yeah, we’ve gotta get her on the show. So, we just kept trying over and over,” Deppeler responded.
Both Sandilands and Henderson jumped in, telling the producer to ring the representative and never the mother.
“Well, I tried Samuel as well, and I tried the broader breakdancing community,” Deppeler explained. “No one’s been answering, but she put the sport on the map with her performance.”
Raygun, who is still in Europe, also said in the video she was “devastated” by all the hate directed at her.
The university professor’s unique moves were widely panned across the world, including a cruel segment on US talkshow star Jimmy Fallon’s The Tonight Show.
A petition making a raft of wild and untrue claims was also set up, forcing the AOC to respond.
AOC CEO Matt Carroll wrote to change.org demanding the “appalling” petition be immediately withdrawn, calling it “vexatious, misleading and bullying”.
“I just want to start by thanking all the people that are supporting me, I really appreciate the positivity and I’m glad I was able to bring some joy into your lives, that’s what I hoped,” Raygun said in her Instagram video.
“I didn’t realise that that would also open the door to so much hate, which has frankly been pretty devastating.
“I went out there and I had fun, I did take it very seriously.
“I worked my butt off preparing for the Olympics and I gave my all, truly.
“I am honoured to have been a part of the Australian Olympic team and to be part of breaking’s Olympic debut.”
She also referred to the AOC statement on Thursday in response to the petition and all the false claims about how she was selected for the Olympic team, adding a “fun fact” about how battles were scored.
“Bit of a fun fact for you: there are actually no points in breaking. If you wanted to see how the judges thought I compared to my opponents, you can actually see the comparison percentages across the five criteria on Olympics.com. All the results are there,” Raygun said.
She also urged everyone to “stop harassing” her family, friends, and the Australian breaking and the broader street dance community.
“Everyone has been through a lot as a result of this, so I ask you to still respect their privacy,” she added.
Raygun finished the video by saying she would be happy to answer more questions when she returned to Australia.