Russian sports journalist and TV host Maria Orzul has distanced herself from the highly publicized sex-tape scandal involving football player Artiom Dzyuba, joking that her TV shows made the athlete behave “like that.”
The row over Dzyuba’s actions is gaining momentum in Russia, after a video of him pleasuring himself in front of a telephone camera leaked online, forcing Russian football bosses to discipline the player by removing him from the national squad for three upcoming games.
In the wake of the scandal Orzul was immediately bombarded by journalists who recognized her voice in the background, immediately suggesting that the provocative video was addressed to her.
The stunning blonde, who was rumored to have been dating Dzyuba several years ago, rejected the claims, insisting that she doesn’t want to be embroiled in the sex row.
“Apparently, my programs are that cool that men react like that,” Orzul said, explaining that her program on Match TV was on when Dzyuba recorded his video.
“I’m not involved. No questions to me. I’m not aware of this situation, I don’t know how this all is arranged. I don’t know how videos leak. You had better ask Artiom, not me,” she said, adding that she “hadn’t met Dzyuba for millions of years.”
Dzyuba and Orzul were rumoured to have had a romantic affair, after paparazzi caught them kissing in a car in 2015.
The brief fling didn’t lead to Dzyuba’s divorce, as his wife forgave him and the couple had one more son soon after that.
Russian sports commentator Dmitry Guberniev spoke in defense of Orzul saying that, this time around, his colleague had nothing to do with the scandal.
“Again all fuss is around Dzyuba. And again everyone is calling Masha Orzul. We all know that Dzyuba is a passionate person. But this time around Masha is not involved. I know it for sure,” Guberniev said.