CNBC anchor Hadley Gamble linked to TPG head amid Jeff Shell affair

CNBC correspondent Hadley Gamble was revealed to be the woman who had an “inappropriate relationship” with Mr Shell for more than a decade until 2019.

Now, a previous whistleblower complaint, seen by New York Post, has been revealed to allege that Gamble, 41, was tied to billionaire David Bonderman during the same time period.

Mr Bonderman, 80, is the chairman of private equity firm TPG. He is also the co-owner of ice hockey team Seattle Kraken and, according to Forbes, has an estimated net worth of $US6.6 billion (almost $A10 billion).

The businessman treated Gamble to a luxurious, jetsetting lifestyle, The Post has learned, with Mr Bonderman renowned for his extravagant lifestyle, hiring bands like the Rolling Stones to play at his lavish parties.

According to an explosive whistleblower complaint filed by a former TPG executive in 2015, Mr Bonderman counted Gamble among his “female companions” and treated her to frequent trips on the firm’s private jet.

“TPG’s founder, David Bonderman, is known within the company to have regular female companions on which he lavishes gifts or to whom he otherwise provides benefits,” former TPG executive Adam Levine alleged in his complaint filed with the SEC on March 2, 2015.

“Mr Bonderman is rumoured to pay most, if not all, of the living expenses for these women, and often brings them with him on business trips,” according to the complaint.

“Ms Gamble, especially, is known to fly with him regularly on TPG’s planes.”

Mr Levine, TPG’s former managing director for global public affairs, accused the firm of securities law violations relating to billing investors for costs that should have been borne by TPG Capital, in the filing with the SEC.

Gamble was not the focus of the complaint, which TPG settled in 2017 without admitting guilt for $US13 million, according to the SEC.

The firm manages $US135 billion ($A203 billion) in assets and has owned companies ranging from J. Crew to Creative Artists Agency, the powerful Hollywood talent firm which had once represented Gamble.

TPG refused to comment, The Post reports.

Gamble’s lawyer, Suzanne McKie, played down her client’s purported ties to Mr Bonderman when contacted by The Post.

Ms McKie also pushed back on the suggestion that “who a woman may or may not have dated in the past is relevant to her claims of sexual harassment and discrimination”.

Gamble’s name resurfaced on Sunday after NBCU’s parent company, Comcast, fired Mr Shell following the anchor’s formal complaint against the longtime executive.

Mr Shell admitted to an alleged affair that began 11 years ago and continued sporadically for years, according to an internal investigation by Comcast.

In an internal memo to staff, Mr Shell said: “Today is my last day as CEO of NBCUniversal.

“I had an inappropriate relationship with a woman in the company, which I deeply regret.”

Meanwhile, Ms McKie voiced her disappointment over Gamble being named.

“The investigation into Mr Shell arose from a complaint by my client of sexual harassment and sex discrimination,” Ms McKie, a managing partner of UK-based law firm Farore Law, told the Wall Street Journal.

“Given these circumstances it is very disappointing that my client’s name has been released and her privacy violated.”

This article originally appeared on New York Post and was reproduced with permission