Debbie Rowe says choreographer Wade Robson is 'a liar and opportunist' after Michael Jackson sexual abuse claims

• Wade Robson, 30, has spoken out about the alleged abuse for the first time
• Claims Jackson told him it was an 'expression of our love' and that he would go to jail forever if he told anyone
• Claims he isn't speaking out for fame or fortune but having his own son two years ago made him face up to what allegedly happened
• Jackson's estate have labelled the accusations 'outrageous and pathetic'
  

By Helen Pow

PUBLISHED: 21:48 EST, 16 May 2013 | UPDATED: 09:56 EST, 17 May 2013

Debbie Rowe, the ex-wife and mother of two of Michael Jackson's children, has strongly criticized choreographer Wade Robson who claimed he was sexually abused by the singer.

In an interview with Today, Robson, 30, labelled Jackson 'a pedophile and a child sexual abuser' and said he chose to finally break his silence about the alleged molestation after having his own son two years ago.

An enraged Rowe, 54, called the choreographer 'opportunistic' and said he was seeking publicity.

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Speaking out: Michael Jackson's ex-wife Debbie Rowe (left) said Wade Robson was 'opportunistic' over he sexual abuse claims about the singer

She told TMZ on Thursday: 'It will be quickly forgotten, and will do nothing, nothing to tarnish Michael's extraordinary legacy.'

Robson claims the abuse at Jackson's hands lasted for seven years and that the King of Pop told him he'd go to jail for the rest of his life if he told anyone about it.

Robson claimed from the age of seven to around 14, Jackson 'performed sexual acts on me and forced me to perform sexual acts on him' and said during the first criminal investigation into the star in 1993, he would get daily calls to 'role-play' about what he told the then-11-year-old was 'an expression of love.'

Robson told Today Jackson convinced him that 'both of us would go to jail for the rest of our lives' if he told anyone about what they had done together.

The serious claims, which the Jackson's estate calls 'outrageous and pathetic,' are a change of tune for Robson who took the stand as the first defense witness at a trial in 2005, where Jackson was accused of molesting a 13-year-old cancer survivor.

 

Wade Robson: Michael Jackson molested me for 7 years

Breaking his silence: Robson, right, told Matt Lauer, left, that he decided to break his silence about the alleged molestation after having his own son two years ago

Robson, now a top music choreographer who has worked with Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake, met Jackson when he five years old and the singer was in his late 20s or early 30s.

The pair bonded over a love of music and he repeatedly slept over at the Neverland Ranch and spent nights in the same bed as the much-older Jackson.

But Robson played a pivotal role in defending Jackson in the 2005 trial, when the King of Pop, who passed away in 2009, faced 14 counts relating to child molestation and conspiracy to molest minors.

He adamantly denied that he had ever been molested or inappropriately touched by the singer, even when a former maid at Neverland testified that she had seen Jackson grope the young boy in the shower. In turn Jackson was found not guilty on all of the charges.

This morning, he explained to Matt Lauer that he wasn't lying back then but hadn't yet come to terms with what had happened to him.

 

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'I said what I understood and I said what I was able to say,' he explained. 'From seven years old, from day one of the abuse, Michael told me that we loved each other and this was love, this was an expression of our love. And then he would follow it up with "but if you ever tell anyone what we are doing both of our lives and careers would be over."'

But he said he was never offered money to deny the abuse during the trial.

'There was no money, there was no "you must lie." Michael, when he would talk to me before these things were going on, and he would call me everyday... it was complete manipulation and brainwashing. It wasn't any sense of the truth on the phone, he would role play with me and train me for these scenarios.'

He is now fighting for money from the Jackson's estate and asking a probate court to allow him to file a late creditor's claim against the estate, even though the deadline has passed for creditors to file such claims.

The estate's lawyer, Howard Weitzman, has dismissed Robson's claims.

In a statement to Today, Weitzman said: 'This is a young man who has testified at least twice under oath over the past 20 years and said in numerous interviews that Michael Jackson never did anything inappropriate to him or with him.

Seven years of alleged abuse: Robson, pictured right with Jackson as a kid, said from the age of seven to around 14 Jackson 'performed sexual acts on me and forced me to perform sexual acts on him'

'Now, nearly four years after Michael has passed, this sad and less-than-credible claim has been made.'

But Robson told Today that his speaking out about the alleged abuse is not for fame or fortune.

'This is not a case of repressed memory,' Robson told Today. 'I have never forgotten one moment of what Michael did to me, but I was psychologically and emotionally completely unable and unwilling to understand that it was sexual abuse.'

He said having his own child two years ago made him face up to the truth, as he said he couldn't help thinking about how he'd feel if a stranger molested his little boy.

'I'm a father and I became a father two and a half years ago to this beautiful baby boy and during the first 18 months of his life I collapsed into two nervous breakdowns, terrifying nervous breakdowns,' he told Lauer.

'At that point, I had no idea what was going on. And for the first time in my life, I began to realize that my completely numb and unexplored feelings about what Michael did to me might be a problem and maybe I need to speak to somebody about it.'

When Lauer referred to a comment made by Jackson's brother Jermaine Jackson that Robson was 'full of s***,' he replied: 'The idea that I would make all of this up and put myself, my wife, my son, my entire family through this extremely stressful and painful experience all for money is incomprehensible.'

Idol: Robson, pictured as a young boy, first met Jackson when he won a local Michael Jackson competition in 1987

Why now? Robson, pictured left and right, says he is speaking out not for the money but to heal and help others

In the past eight years, Robson has made a name for himself in the entertainment world, becoming one of the most sought-after choreographers.

He has worked with Usher, Britney Spears, and NSYNC. His name hit the gossip columns in 2002 when Britney Spears' relationship with Justin Timberlake ended after she allegedly cheated on the NSYNC star with the choreographer.

Since then, Robson has worked on the show So You Think You Can Dance, and is currently in charge of Demi Lovato's choreography.

But he told Today he simply couldn't live in silence about the alleged sexual abuse anymore.

'I've lived in silence and denial for 22 years and I can't spend another moment in that... I'm never going to go away with this for the sake of money. I'm never going to be silenced for money. That's not going to happen.'

In a later statement to the program, Robson went on to say that he hoped his actions would help other child sexual abuse victims.

'There are millions of survivors of child sexual abuse out there who are suffering in silence and/or denial, as was I,' he said. 'If my coming forward and speaking my truth can help even one victim gain the courage to speak their truth and begin the healing process, that would be more than I could ever ask.'

We said he wanted to assure victims that under no circumstances was the abuse their decision or fault and encouraged them to speak about it so they could begin to heal.

Robson's TV appearance comes as the high profile trial of the Jackson's tour promoter, AEG, continues. The trial is brought by the singer's mother and children who claim AEG shares blame in his death for neglecting to vet and supervise Jackson's doctor, Dr Conrad Murray.