Cristiano Ronaldo News: Juventus ace says he was 'embarrassed' by rape allegations, explains how he protected his children from them

What's the story?

Juventus talisman Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed that he felt 'embarrassed' after he was accused of rape by Kathryn Mayorga in October last year as he explained how he attempted to protect his children from the case.

In case you didn't know...

Last year, Mayorga publicly accused Ronaldo of raping her in a Las Vegas hotel in 2009. She further alleged that the former Real Madrid superstar paid her $375,000 as part of a non-disclosure agreement after the incident.

Ronaldo has since denied the allegations even as Las Vegas police reopened the investigation after the identity of the accused was revealed by Mayorga.

However, the Clark County District Attorney's Office announced in July that Ronaldo will not face any criminal charges as there was not enough evidence to prove the claims "beyond a reasonable doubt".

The heart of the matter

In an interview with Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britain, Ronaldo has opened up about the allegations and how they have affected his life with his family.

The Portuguese international said,

"They play with your dignity, it’s hard. You have a girlfriend, you have a family, you have kids. When they play with your honesty it’s bad, it’s hard.

"One day I was at home in the living room with my girlfriend and then the news they speak about Cristiano Ronaldo, this and that. You listen to the kids coming down the stairs and you change the channel because I was embarrassed, I feel embarrassed.

"I feel embarrassed. I just change the channel. For Cristiano Jr to not see that they speak bad about his father, about a very bad case. It makes me feel so bad, to be honest."

‘I felt embarrassed.’Cristiano Ronaldo opens up to @piersmorgan about the shame he felt when he was accused of rape.You can watch the full interview on @ITV on Tuesday at 9pm. It’s also available on the ITV Hub.@Cristiano | #RonaldoMeetsPiers | #GMB pic.twitter.com/5gtZN2npYE

— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) September 16, 2019

What's next?

Ronaldo will likely feature for Juventus when they kick-start their Champions League campaign against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night.