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Ex-Team GB coach and I’m a Celeb star’s ex-husband Vicente Modahl pleads not guilty to rape and child sex offences
A FORMER Team GB Olympic coach and ex-husband of an I’m a Celeb star has pleaded not guilty to rape and child sex offences.
Vicente Modahl is facing 19 charges in total – including two counts of raping a child and seven counts of sexual assault on one individual.
The 65-year-old, whose real name is Jose Vicente Leiva-Modahl, is the ex- husband of former Commonwealth Games 800m champion Diane Edwards.
Diane, who split with Modahl last year, was on series three of I’m a Celebrity along with Katie Price, Kerry Katona and Peter Andre.
Modahl appeared at Manchester Crown Court today where he pleaded not guilty to all 19 charges.
The alleged offences all took place against one unnamed woman between 2012 to 2024, the Crown Prosecution Service said.
Among the charges are five counts of rape, four counts of assault by penetration and six counts of sexual assault.
Modahl is also accused of two counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, one count of causing a person to engage in sexual activity and one count of coercive or controlling behaviour.
A trial date was set for three years time on September 4, 2028, as this is the first available date his case could go before a jury.
Modahl was bailed on the condition he resides at an address in the Warrington area, abides by an electronic monitoring curfew from 9pm to 7am and does not contact witnesses in the case.
The ex-coach, who was arrested at an airport as he returned to the UK from Spain, must also not apply for any travel documents through British, Norwegian or Spanish authorities, and was also ordered to surrender his Spanish passport.
He was also told not to have any unsupervised contact with anyone under the age of 18 as part of his bail conditions.
Modahl will next appear for a hearing on June 8 next year.
The Norwegian dad-of-three has worked with 23 different Olympians during his career in athletics.
He was also the trainer, agent and husband of former middle-distance runner Diane Edwards.
Diane won gold medal in the 800m at the 1990 Commonwealth Games, silver at the 1986 Commonwealth Games and bronze at the 1998 Commonwealth Games.
She also represented Great Britain at four Olympic Games between 1988 to 2000.
But in 1994, her career was suddenly halted after she tested positive for testosterone during a random drugs test at the Victoria Commonwealth Games in Canada.
Diane and Modahl protested their innocence – claiming no banned substances had ever been in her system.
She was later cleared by the International Amateur Athletic Federation after evidence emerged suggesting her urine sample may have not been refrigerated properly.
It was reportedly kept in a room heated at 35 degrees for a period of three days, causing serious bacterial degradation.
Her ban was later lifted but the financial cost of the court case hampered her career and she retired in 2002.
