Marcel van Roosmalen arouses a lot of anger by downplaying Maxime Meiland’s abuse story. “This is evil. She had a terrible childhood!”
The candid life story of Maxime Meiland has been in bookstores for several months now. The reality star tells in her book ‘Misused, derailed and now… happy!’ extensively about the abuse she endured in her childhood. With this she wants to encourage women who are or were in the same situation.
‘No experience’
Marcel van Roosmalen briefly touched on Maxime’s biography last week in his talk show Marcel & Gijs. “I was watching Chateau Meiland. Yes, and then a kind of picture book is presented there by Jan Dijkgraaf, the infamous columnist. Or a columnist… He writes notes. And he is also writing a book about Maxime Meiland.”
How he looks at Maxime despite her abuse story? “A woman who has experienced absolutely nothing in her life. (…) Don’t buy it, folks. It’s a picture book. It is a story of a woman who has not experienced anything.”
It is better to buy your own book, says Marcel. “A lot happens in it, not that boring story of that Maxime Meiland.”
‘Goddamn*mme’
Journalist Bas Paternotte is furious with Marcel, despite their friendly relationship. He says in the Nare Boys podcast which he makes with Jan Dijkgraaf: “I let out a loud goddamn *mme when I saw it. Why is there nothing in that book? He didn’t even read it, you jerk! What is it about?!”
He continues: “The subtitle is not for nothing: ‘Misused and derailed.’ It’s about f*cking abuse. That girl has had a terrible childhood, experienced the most terrible things and has written a candid book about it with you.”
Furious at Marcel
Maxime is a great example for abuse victims, says Bas. “So why is there nothing in it, Marcel van Roosmalen? I was really furious with him. What kind of sewing stroke is this? That you and Van Roosmalen don’t like each other, that’s for sure. (…) I think that’s all fine. But saying there’s nothing in this book when it’s about f*cking abuse…”
He continues: “So: either he did it consciously… Well, I would really be very disappointed of him. Really, that would be an extremely dirty move, so that you know it’s about abuse. I am so angry about that. It’s not a small subject, is it? It’s a big, important topic. And that you consciously say that there is nothing in it…”
“Or he just doesn’t know and he thought: I’m just going to piss that Dijkgraaf off.”
Bad dog
Meilandjes biographer Jan calls Marcel a ‘bad dog’. “Of course they know what that book is about, because there has been quite a bit of publicity about it. Also with commercial broadcasters, with public broadcasters, in the media. So of course they know. So it was indeed a game of pissing off.”
Bas: “I think it’s such a disappointment. So there is something in it. There is something essential in it. It is about f*cking abuse, idiot.”
Jan: “Yes, and to be precise: it contains 32 pages with photos and 222 pages with letters. So that was bullshit too.”
Step too far
According to Bas, Marcel is ‘going a step too far’. “Precisely because it is about her being abused. This is about abuse, man! Then you shouldn’t say: ‘There is nothing in it and it only contains pictures.’ No. It is the candid story of a woman who was abused in her childhood. (…) I find that very malicious. And I am very disappointed with Van Roosmalen.”
Jan concludes: “Of course you know Van Roosmalen well, don’t you. And I understand that you are not going to betray your friends, Bas, but maybe he said: ‘There is nothing in it’, because he was afraid that people would still have something to say about him. Women I mean, girls… Or boys…”