Childline founder, Esther Rantzen, is being sacked by a charity for which she was patron of, after claims that she ignored the abusive behaviour of Jimmy Savile for over 18 years emerged.

We reported yesterday how an abuse campaigner has come forward to say how she alerted the notorious child protector over 28 years ago when she learned of what Savile had been up to, but that nothing was ever done about it.

When questioned for the recent Exposure documentary about Savile’s paedophilic behaviour toward young girls and boys throughout his career, Rantzen, who has been a patron of the National Association for People Abused in Childhood since it was set up 15 years ago, said that she had no idea what was going on, but that the victim’s statements seemed genuine.

However, she was then forced to admit that she had heard rumours of Savile’s abusive behaviour, which seems to have affected over 20 victims, but that as she had no evidence she had no choice but to turn a blind eye, commenting: “We all blocked our ears to the gossip. There was gossip, there were rumours.”

Now the National Association for People Abused in Childhood has sacked Rantzen and removed all mention of her, including photos, from their website with founder Peter Saunders stating yesterday: “In the light of her admission that she heard rumours about Savile but did nothing, I am going to ask the trustees if they feel she is an appropriate patron.

“A number of people have contacted us to say they don’t feel she is.”