Youtuber Yung Filly dropped from M&S cookery series amid rape allegations following Australia arrest

The series, titled The Greater Game, was launched just on Wednesday (October 9) in collaboration with England team sponsor M&S Food. The campaign aimed to promote healthy eating habits and positively influence children aged 12 to 16. England football stars Bukayo Saka, Ezri Konsa, and Jarrod Bowen were set to appear alongside Yung Filly in the "Freestyle Cooking" videos, hosted on an FA YouTube channel.

The FA had previously stated that Yung Filly, whose real name is Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos, was chosen to "encourage young people up and down the country to experiment with cooking healthy alternatives." However, the FA swiftly reacted to breaking news from Australia, where Barrientos was charged with multiple counts of sexual assault.

The 29-year-old was arrested in Brisbane and later extradited to Perth, where he was charged with four counts of sexual penetration without consent, three counts of assault occasioning bodily harm, and one count of impeding a person's normal breathing or circulation by applying pressure to the neck. The charges were in the wake of an alleged incident in his Perth hotel room after a performance in the northern suburb of Hillarys.

Yung Filly has fronted several BBC shows, including Hot Property and Yung Filly's Celeb Lock-In, and he appeared on The Great Celebrity Bake Off on Channel 4 in 2022. He also boasts 3.2 million followers on both Instagram and TikTok, and 1.8 million subscribers on YouTube. He has also played over the years in charity and legends football matches.

The content creator appeared at Perth Magistrates' Court and was granted conditional bail, which included restrictions such as a ban on contacting the alleged victim and posting on social media about the case. Western Australia Police confirmed the ongoing investigation and urged anyone with relevant information to come forward.