Charles Saatchi. Oscar Pistorius, Roman Polanski, John Leslie, Mel Gibson, Charlie Sheen, J Simpson, Jimmy Savile, Chris Brown, Paul Gasgoigne,

I was going to suggest Samantha Kidd too, though I don't think the trial has happened yet so that's still an 'accused'.

I fully accept that men hitting women is more common and more injurous, but that women hitting men also happens and can also be pretty bad.

However, I think OP that your notion that well known celebrity cases correlates to actual statistics (reported or not) doesn't add up.

A lack of high profile female abusers should not detract from abuse of men, in the same way as the presence of abuse of men should not diminish the abuse of women. It's all bad.

Joan Crowford

But DV isn't balanced namechangeguy. That is the point. It is gendered. It is mainly perpetrated by men and women and children are mainly the victims.

If people are keen to point out that DV is perpetrated by both sexes, then perhaps it is so we can start a discussion from a more balanced perspective. I am no expert, but I managed to find links to surveys that point to high levels of female-on-male DV pretty quickly. You do not have to be a crazed MRA to point this out.

Most of them stress that although women do get violent, the violence towards women is more serious in terms of the physical harm caused, because of men's greater strength. So, even if the ratio was 50:50 (which it isn't), the outcomes are worse for women in terms of physical injury.

Re the celebrity angle, there have been many pointed out already, but I am not sure it helps us examine the causes much. And surely, isn't that the point of any DV discussion? Why does it happen, and what can we do about it?

Samantha Kidd (Eddie Kidds wife)

but then again you won't get anything close to a full disclosure on Female on Male DV as the supports virtually non existant, although improving.

Yes I can. I can also read the OP. Did you mean only sexual abuse within a close relationship? Because that isn't how it reads.

I think the whole thread is a bit odd, to be honest, and deliberately designed to provoke an argument. What are you trying to establish? That DV occurs? That men do it? That they do it more than women? That there are simple reasons for it? That all cases are the same? That you have a solution?

Greythorne, the OP said DV or sexual abuse. I think they both qualify under that heading.

No, the Cheryl Cole one wasn't for the nightclub bouncer, it was on Ashley Cole.

'Before I knew it I was lashing out at Ashley in every way I possibly could,' writes Cheryl. 'I hit him in the face. I couldn't help it. I was shaking him, kicking him, scratching his face, pushing and shoving him like I was a lunatic. [DM link]

Rose West and Myra Hindley.

Geoffrey Boycott

I'm quite shocked to see John Lennon & Sean Connery on the list Wasn't aware of that at all.

The whole thing just makes me so thoroughly depressed.

This is a great blog post about the gendered nature of DV. Debunks a lot of these so called stats quoted by MREs. She does a lot of work in this area and is very knowledgeable. Her blog is worth reading in general.

"I have to disagree with this idea that women feel okay to be open about DV" Agreed. It is not insignificant that it was Charles Saatchi who has made a statement as to what happened in the restaurant and not Nigella.

I have to disagree with this idea that women feel okay to be open about DV. It is humiliating and awful to be victimised in whatever way it occurs. There is a myth that victimisation is worse and more shameful or humiliating for men than women in any situation- therefore men are less likely to speak about it.

Most victims of rape/CSA/DV/etc don't tell anyone about it ever - because they feel ashamed, afraid, guilty and humiliated by it. Women don't have any less of these feelings of shame than men. This myth persists because women's social status and perceived value is lower than men, so it is assumed they deserve victimisation/violation as a result and don't suffer as much because of it.

The prevalent misogynist assumption is present in rape conviction rates - male rape victims are far more likely to be viewed favourably by a jury and see their attackers behind bars than women.

And another thing. Men do speak about being victims of DV - frequently when women are arrested for DV it comes to light that the man has been abusive in the past and called the police immediately at a relatively minor infraction perpetrated by the woman compared to his own misdeeds. Also, how about the so-called MRAs who make a point of misrepresenting the prevalence of female on male DV to claim that men as a sex are victimised by women? That bullshit is swallowed whole by people who believe that men are more hurt by victimisation than women.

John Wayne wasn't shy at flying his fists around either

Nicholas Cage

Bing Crosby

John Wayne and Humphrey Bogart were both knocked about by their wives. Who'd have thought it?