Move Over, Jon Gosselin; Now It's Kate's Turn to Address Affair Rumours

May 12, 2009

Just when we thought we couldn't bear to hear another syllable about Jon Gosselin's alleged affair, we finally have another accused cheater to fixate on: Kate Gosselin.

In a move that suggests savvy strategist more than humble homemaker, Kate Gosselin is speaking out against a new tabloid report that claims she's having an affair with her bodyguard – even though the report has yet to be published.

"The next story coming out from the animals that stalk us is about our security person and his family," Gosselin tells People magazine of a report that allegedly links her to Steve Neild, a bodyguard who frequently travels with her and her family. "Already the allegations they're making about me are disgusting, unthinkable, unfathomable, and I am horrified."

"In this situation, your circle grows smaller and smaller, and it's very natural to become friends with your manager, your publicist, your security team ... they're the only people you have left. And now they're coming under fire."

In her new, exclusive interview with People, the mother of eight blasts the tabloids, accusing them of trying to alienate her family from their loved ones.

"We opened our world to this," says the Jon & Kate Plus Eight star. "But we willingly made a conscious decision to put this out there. Our friends and family did not. I had no idea we would potentially take down the people that we love around us. It's like saying, 'Thanks for your support, let me sic the paparazzi on you.' It's very, very difficult. It leaves us, essentially, alone and friendless. It's terrible."

Gosselin says she's worried this fresh batch of rumours is going to drive her friends away. "I'm totally panicking, and thinking, 'We are going to lose our last set of friends.' I keep calling them, begging, 'Seriously, I'm so sorry. Don't run away from us.' They keep saying, ‘We're fine, we're fine.' But they have paparazzi in front of their house. It's so upsetting."

Meanwhile, the L.A. Times is reporting that the season premiere of Jon & Kate Plus Eight is not yet complete, even though it's scheduled to air in less than two weeks. Producers are reportedly trying to incorporate the fallout that erupted after Jon Gosselin was photographed leaving a bar with a 23-year-old school teacher. The show returns to TLC May 25.