Politician Resigns After His 19-Year-Old Daughter Appeared In OnlyFans Documentary
An Australian politician, Dugald Saunders, has stepped down from his role just one day after his daughter appeared in a reality series about OnlyFans influencers.
Dugald Saunders, leader of the NSW Nationals and member for Dubbo, told parliament on Monday that he would be resigning to focus on his family and personal wellbeing, just minutes before informing the media.
“It’s a difficult decision, but it is the right time for me to take a step back and focus more on my family and myself,” Saunders said in a statement.
His daughter, Charlie Saunders, 19, known online as Willow Rae or Willow Ray, was featured in the six-part online series Spicy Summer, which premiered on Sunday.
The show, filmed in Sydney’s eastern suburbs during September and October, highlights the lives of OnlyFans creators, a subscription-based platform known for adult content.
In the series, Charlie, who appeared under the name Willow, told viewers she is from regional NSW and said, “I can do what I want, and I’m a legal consenting adult.”
Her OnlyFans profile, which described her as “the girl next door if next door’s a farm,” has since been deleted.
ALSO READ: Court Orders 5-Year-Old To Retain Surname Of Father Who Raped Her Mother
A spokesperson for Saunders told The Australian that his resignation was unrelated to his daughter’s appearance on the show and that the timing was coincidental.
In the documentary, Charlie spoke openly about why she joined the adult industry, revealing that she had faced bullying in high school over her appearance.
“I was bullied a lot in school about my appearance, there’d be girls that were like a size six, and they’d say I’m fat, and I was a size 14,” she said.
“When someone else says it, it just hurts a lot, it put me in a state of depression and I’d go to school and just feel like I wasn’t worthy.
“When I saw the girls on OnlyFans, I realised that you don’t have to be a certain size or shape to be popular and men will like you.
“When I got my first subscriber on OnlyFans I thought this was the first time in my life where it was like. ‘I’m not what all the other girls are saying and actually, I am pretty.”
ALSO READ: Why Last Samurai Standing Is Netflix’s Must-Watch Action Series
She noted that social media had made the adult industry more normalized, saying, “I think the older women are just jealous that it (OnlyFans) wasn’t around when they were younger and they just had to be a housewife and get a basic job.
“I love being a country girl and living out in the bush … but the options here are pretty limited, you could work at the pub or a local shop, but you’re only going to make basic money.
“All those (social media) influencers I follow show me that I don’t have to settle in life,” she added
Despite the timing of Saunders’ resignation, there are no immediate plans to challenge his position as party leader, which could remain in place until parliament resumes next year.
Opposition leader Mark Speakman praised Saunders for his work, saying he valued his “steady, collegiate, and constructive counsel” and recognized his tireless advocacy for the Dubbo electorate and regional NSW.
NSW Nationals MPs are scheduled to meet on Tuesday morning at 8:30 a.m. to vote on a new leader.
ALSO READ: President Tinubu Receives Duke Of Edinburgh, Prince Edward In Abuja
