Salma Hayek has joined the chorus of women speaking out about being harassed by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
Speaking on a Spanish-language radio program in the US, the Mexican-American actress revealed that she refused to go on a date with Trump years ago when she had a boyfriend, but he continued to pursue her – and claimed he even planted a story with celebrity gossip magazine National Enquirer.
"When I told him I wouldn't go out with him even if I didn't have a boyfriend, [which he took as disrespectful], he called – well, he wouldn't say he called, but someone told the National Enquirer," she said.
Hayek claims Trump leaked a false story to the magazine, suggesting it was he who refused to date her because she was "too short".
"Later, he called and left me a message: 'Can you believe this? Who would say this? I don't want people to think this about you'," Hayek told the radio station.
"He thought that I would try to go out with him so people wouldn't think that's why he wouldn't go out with me."
Hayek, who is a campaign surrogate for Hillary Clinton, said she believes the other women who have spoken out about their experiences of harassment and assault at the hands of the Republican candidate.
Her revelation comes as Trump vows to sue every woman who has gone public with a claim of sexual misconduct against him.
"All of these liars will be sued after the election is over," he said during a speech at Gettysburg.
But so far his threats have not deterred accusers. The New York Times published its smackdown response to a threat from Trump's lawyers in the wake of an accusation of groping the paper published.
"If he believes that American citizens had no right to hear what these women had to say and that the law of this country forces us and those who would criticise him to stand silent or be punished, we welcome the opportunity to have a court set him straight," the letter read.
