ABC presenter Abbey Gelmi has detailed a prolonged stalking and sexual harassment ordeal that began while she was caring for her newborn son, with the offender now jailed following a police investigation.
The Offsiders host made the stunning revelation on her podcast Two Good Sports with fellow presenter Georgie Tunny on Friday.
She was visibly upset and shaken by the ordeal, with Tunny reassuring her and telling her it was ‘the right thing to do’.
Gelmi said the incident started last year when she received a late-night video call from an unknown number while breastfeeding her two-month-old son.
She said the contact quickly escalated into repeated calls and messages, including explicit videos sent directly to her phone.
‘I immediately went cold,’ Gelmi said.
ABC sport presenter Abbey Gelmi has revealed details of a prolonged stalking ordeal involving sexually explicit harassment over months
The offender sent repeated sexually explicit messages and engaged in persistent unwanted contact despite clear attempts to stop
The offender has now been jailed following court proceedings related to stalking and harassment offences
‘I remember feeling, not shame, but going ‘what have I done to have this happen to me’.’
Gelmi said the messages continued in quick succession over more than a month, despite attempts to block the number.
‘Hey baby, hey honey, I thought you might want to see this,’ she said the sender wrote, alongside a sexually explicit video.
The broadcaster said she initially did not report the behaviour, believing harassment required a physical presence or a direct threat to her home.
‘I thought you could only be harassed or stalked if a person has been in your presence or home … that’s not the case,’ she said.
The situation escalated further when she received another call while alone in a supermarket, prompting her to contact police.
Gelmi said the man had also targeted other women working in sports media, with investigators identifying multiple victims during the case.
‘So this time last year was the beginning of an ongoing case of sexual harassment, essentially against myself,’ she said.
Gelmi described the experience as deeply unsettling, highlighting the psychological impact of sustained and targeted online harassment behaviour
Fellow presenter Georgie Tunny supported Abbey Gelmi publicly, highlighting the seriousness of stalking and harassment in media workplaces
‘I wasn’t the only person that they were doing it to.’
Following a police investigation, the Victorian man responsible has since been jailed.
Gelmi said she had received sexually explicit content from men throughout her career in sports broadcasting.
‘I’ve been receiving sexually explicit content from men as part of being in my job,’ she said.
‘It was something that was sort of laughed about in the office.’
She said she delayed going to police for about six weeks before seeking help.
‘I let that go on for a month and a half before I saw police help,’ she said.
Gelmi discussed the ordeal on her Two Good Sports podcast, which she hosts with Georgie Tunny.
Tunny said she had also been subjected to similar behaviour during her time working in media.
‘As a woman working in media, and then a woman working in sports media, I think there are all of these layers,’ Tunny said.
‘So when this shit is happening, as someone who has been on the other end, and thinking it’s not a big deal, it is a big deal.’
Gelmi, who lives in Melbourne with former AFL player Kane Lambert and their children, said she chose to speak publicly about the case after the man was imprisoned.
