A FORMER Ashley Madison employee today exposed the sordid secrets of life on the infidelity site.
In an exclusive chat with The Sun, source Sarah Symonds shared hard-hitting behind-the-scenes details of the scandalous company.
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She spoke as viewers are riveted by a new Netflix series, ‘Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal’, which examines the 2015 leak that exposed millions of illicit relationships.
The company’s former public relations adviser claims then-chief executive Noel Biderman demanded she date married men, adding: “It made me feel horrible.”
She said: “I was confused because I was supposed to be a spokesperson for the company, not in this murky area.
“He wanted me to create fake profiles. It was being talked about a lot, even though I refused to help.
“Noel asked me out under fake names. I found it all despicable and tawdry.
“I felt his attitude toward women was terrible.”
Sarah claims she was reduced to tears on several occasions while working at the company and was told that if she didn’t like the work she “was replaceable”.
Sarah, who now lives in Newport, Wales, caring for her elderly parents, told The Sun: “The Netflix show opened up old wounds.
“The company was a contradiction: They told me they created the name ‘Ashley Madison’ because they were the two most popular children’s names at the time.
“Biderman’s whole mantra was to get men to sign up and cheat, without thinking about the consequences for families and children.
“He always had an answer about how his site was ‘providing a service.’
“It was a horrible experience that I’m trying to forget.”
Noel asked me out under fake names. I found it all despicable and tawdry
Sarah Symonds
She was asked in 2007 to represent the Canadian company as it spread across the US and UK, becoming the global mega site where clandestine cheaters could arrange sex outside of marriage.
In 2015, before the damaging hacking scandal, it had 37 million users in 40 countries.
Ashley Madison Hacking Scandal Explained
Netflix’s smash hit ‘Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal’ tells how hackers told the company to take down its website or its user base would be leaked to the public.
When they didn’t back down, celebrities, politicians and other high-profile figures were exposed as having accounts – triggering devastating consequences for thousands of relationships and leaving some members suicidal.
In 2015, in the eye of the hacking storm, The Sun reported claims from analysts that the site was not what it seemed.
Figures show that 31 million men registered on the online dating service were men and just 5.5 million were women.
The Sun also revealed that 700,000 British men looking for a fling on the Ashley Madison website pursued just 31 UK-based women.
Biderman approached Sarah after appearing on Oprah Winfrey and other US talk shows to promote her raunchy book, ‘Having An Affair? A manual for the other woman’.
Ashley Madison sparked a furore with its shocking message that affairs could save marriages.
Biderman’s whole mantra was to get men to sign up and cheat, without thinking about the consequences for families and children.
Sarah Symonds
Sarah said: “They were putting up billboards with $10,000 prices on Sunset Boulevard and all over America.
“The advertising slogan was ‘Life is short, have an affair,’ and it had a sexy woman in the photo going ‘shh!’ signal.
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“It was exciting, elegant and bold. A bold new company for a new century.
“But when I went to their center in Toronto, I was very disappointed. Noel had a small, dirty office with no windows. It was underwhelming.
They were putting up $10,000 billboards on Sunset Boulevard and across America
Sarah Symonds
“Behind the scenes, the scene was sparse and cheap, and very male-oriented.
“It was a vivid contrast to the advertisements that suggested that beautiful, attractive, open-minded women were signed up to the company.”
HOME LIMITED
Sarah returned to the UK in early 2008 as part of the company’s expansion.
And she was sent by the company to meet the now disgraced PR guru Max Clifford – leading to a traumatic episode in her life.
She said: “It took courage to do what I was doing because I was promoting an infidelity website, on my own.
“Noel wanted me to find a PR company in the UK and so I met Max.
Behind the scenes, the setup was sparse and cheap, and very male-oriented
Sarah Symonds
“Max wanted £15,000 a month from Ashley Madison to support them – and manipulated me by saying he would also help me promote my book.”
Negotiations led to Sarah visiting the PR’s offices in London for several business meetings.
At the end of one of them, she was “persuaded to be intimate” with him in the bathroom.
In 2014, Clifford was jailed for eight years after being convicted of a series of sexual offences.
It was a horrible experience that I’m trying to forget
Sarah Symonds
Sarah said of disgraced Max, who died in 2017: “After being proposed, the thing that shocked me the most – and disgusted me – was when I discovered that Max’s casting couch would be his toilet cubicle. That’s something I can never forget.”
But the turbulence was just beginning for Sarah, now 53. Later in 2008, her affair with chef Gordon Ramsay was exposed.
Sarah continued: “It was chaotic and unpleasant. Noel announced that I had been fired for being “indiscreet”. It was a hoax.”
DATA BREACH
Netflix’s smash hit ‘Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal’ tells how hackers told the company to take down its website or its user base would be leaked to the public.
When they didn’t back down, celebrities, politicians and other high-profile figures were exposed as having accounts – triggering devastating consequences for thousands of relationships and leaving some members suicidal.
In 2015, in the eye of the hacking storm, The Sun reported claims from analysts that the site was not what it seemed.
Figures show that 31 million men registered on the online dating service were men and just 5.5 million were women.
The Sun also revealed that 700,000 British men looking for a fling on the Ashley Madison website pursued just 31 UK-based women.
Although Mr. Biderman understands the differences between himself and these clients, he – like many of them – has, in the years since, tried to move on and repair the damage to his life and relationships.
Mr. Biderman’s Attorney
A former Ashley Madison employee – not Sarah Symonds – has sued the company in Canada over poor working conditions.
She claimed she suffered repetitive stress injuries to her hands after the company hired her to create 1,000 fake profiles of Portuguese women over three months to attract Brazilian customers.
The case was settled out of court, although Ashley Madison has rejected claims that it created fake profiles.
After the leak, Biderman, a father of two, stepped down.
Last year, after another TV show on Ashley Madison, his lawyer said: “Mr. Biderman was also a victim of a crime, like the Ashley Madison customers whose public information was hacked and released.
“While Mr. Biderman understands the differences between himself and these clients, he – like many of them – has, in the intervening years, tried to move on and repair the damage to his life and relationships.
“He feels fortunate that his wife, Amanda, has supported him throughout.”
Regardless of our past, with over 50 million members joining since 2015, it is clear that we have matured as a company and are meeting a need in society
Christoph Kraemer
The Ashley Madison website remains operational to this day and has even experienced a resurgence in popularity.
Christoph Kraemer, Managing Director Europe, told The Sun last night: “The recent documentaries about our business have been a great moment to reflect on how far our business has come.
“Regardless of our past, with more than 50 million members joining since 2015, it is clear that we have matured as a company and are meeting a societal need.”
Noel Biderman has also been contacted for comment.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
