Former Page 3 model Rhian Sugden has spoken out about her brief relationship with Russell Brand, after the comedian was accused of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse.
The allegations against Brand were made by four women in a joint investigation by The Sunday Times, The Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches. They date back to the height of the British presenter’s fame, between 2006 and 2013.
Brand, 48, has strongly denied all the “very serious allegations” against him, insisting that his past relationships have been “absolutely always consensual”.
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On Saturday (16 September) night, Sugden tweeted about her own experiences with Brand. The 37-year-old claimed that Brand had joined the No More Page 3 campaign to remove topless models from the third page of The Sun newspaper after “attempting to sh** his way through other Page 3 girls and getting declined”.
“I had reporters and Dispatches knocking on my parents door months back asking for information on Russell Brand as we briefly dated when I was younger,” the former Celebrity Big Brother star wrote on Twitter/X.
Sugden wrote that Brand was “always very pleasant to me and treated me well”, adding: “Despite him attempting to sh** his way through other page 3 girls and getting declined he soon went full circle and joined a ‘No More Page 3’ campaign to get us shut down.
“I can’t comment on the allegations that have been made against him, I’ve no scoop on the fella except his hair used to smell bad and he definitely wasn’t the one that got away. Hope that answers the Qs of the other reporters that have slid into my DMs.”
Sugden also shared a screenshot from Brand’s Twitter/X account, featuring a photo of the comic posing with a No More Page 3 slogan t-shirt.
In the caption, Brand claimed that “the love of a good woman” had caused him to change his attitudes, referring to his wife Laura Gallacher.
“And finally, through the love of a good woman, teenage, sexist me was slain,” he wrote alongside the picture, which he posted in 2014.
Rhian Sugden— (Shutterstock)
Sugden previously addressed her short relationship with Brand during her stint in the Celebrity Big Brother house in 2012. Sugden was in the house with fellow contestant Jasmine Lennard, who had also been linked to the Get Him to the Greek star.
“He has this lothario image but when you see him it’s not what you think,” she said.
As the allegations aired on Channel 4 last night, Brand was performing a sold-out gig in London, and told audience members they would “appreciate” that there were certain things he could not talk about on stage.
The Metropolitan Police have since urged potential victims to come forward in the wake of the Dispatches documentary.
“We are aware of media reporting of a series of allegations of sexual assault,” they said in a statement, adding that they had not yet received any reports in relation to this.
“If anyone believes they have been the victim of a sexual assault, no matter how long ago it happened, we would encourage them to contact police,” they added.
The Independent has contacted Brand’s representatives for further comment.
Rape Crisis offers support for those affected by rape and sexual abuse. You can call them on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, and 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland, or visit their website at www.rapecrisis.org.uk.
If you are in the US, you can call Rainn on 800-656-HOPE (4673)
