Laura Brand, the wife of Russell Brand, told a London court on Thursday that the British entertainer's promiscuity left her heartbroken and ended their first relationship years before they married, as she gave evidence in his defence at his rape trial.
Brand, 51, is on trial at Southwark Crown Court charged with three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of attempted indecent assault, all alleged to have been committed against six women in the United Kingdom between 1999 and 2009. He denies the charges.
According to RNZ's court reporting, Laura Brand described her husband of nearly 10 years as a very caring sexual partner and said she felt entirely cared for and looked after by him during their relationship.
What Laura Brand told the jury
Laura Brand was 19 when she met the then-31-year-old comedian after his show Shame at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August 2006. The court heard the pair exchanged phone numbers, met the next day and began dating shortly after. She is the sister of British model and television presenter Kirsty Gallacher, something the court heard Brand knew within moments of meeting her.
She told the jury the relationship ended a few months later, in February 2007, and that she was left heartbroken by the breakup.
'I was aware that he liked women and I was aware towards the latter part of the year that he was engaging with other women,' she told the court.
'I was not interested in having a relationship with him if he was sleeping with other people. It was clear it was difficult for him to be monogamous.'
The pair started dating again in 2015, according to her evidence, and married in 2017. The Guardian reported that she said she had resumed contact as a friend in the summer of 2007 and grew close again when Brand's marriage to the US pop star Katy Perry ended.
'Russell, my husband, is caring, he's kind, he's a wonderful father,' she told the jury.
'I feel very seen by him; I love him very much. Our relationship has always been about honesty.'
Under cross examination, Laura Brand acknowledged she did not know her now-husband during some of the period of his alleged offending. Brand nodded along to much of his wife's evidence, at times closing his eyes and playing with the red scarf he was wearing.
The talk show interview and the podcast comments
The jury heard that after the birth of the couple's first child, Brand appeared on an American talk show and described their early relationship. On the programme, the court heard, Brand said the pair 'loved each other very much' but that he was 'in a phase where I thought the world was an amusement park full of orgasms'.
Laura Brand told the court she probably did not watch the programme but did not dispute the comments.
The court also heard that in a 2020 podcast, she said that when the pair rekindled their relationship, Brand was 'so different to how I knew him before'.
What did Brand's former partners say?
The jury also heard evidence from two of Brand's former partners. A dance teacher who had a three-year relationship with Brand from 1996 described him as gentle, warm, kind and adventurous, despite what she called his bad boy reputation. In a statement read to the court, she said that at home he was more introspective, gentle and loving than the person audiences saw, but that the relationship ended after she felt she could no longer trust him to be faithful.
Another former partner, who met Brand in 1999 at an English school in London, said the actor was 'undoubtedly promiscuous' but described him as very loving, thoughtful, patient and charming. She said they never engaged in sexual activity without consent.
Brand's own evidence to the jury
On Wednesday, a day before his wife testified, Brand addressed the jury himself. He said no friends, acquaintances or colleagues were prepared to give evidence in his defence, and that no one had touched him 'with a bargepole' since the allegations became public.
The Telegraph reported that Laura Brand has stood by her husband throughout the proceedings, and that she described finding the initial breakup in 2007 difficult.
The trial continues at Southwark Crown Court.
Why this case matters
The case is being closely watched in the UK and beyond because Brand was one of the most recognisable entertainains of his generation before reinventing himself in recent years as a wellness and conspiracy content creator. The charges against him follow investigations by British journalists, and the trial has become a reference point in wider conversations about accountability for powerful men in the entertainment industry, a debate that has resonated strongly in New Zealand since the #MeToo movement reached our screens and newsrooms.
Six women have made allegations spanning a decade, from 1999 to 2009. The defence has sought to characterise Brand's behaviour during those years as promiscuous but consensual. The prosecution's case rests on the accounts of the complainants, none of whom can be named for legal reasons. The jury will have to weigh the character evidence from Laura Brand and the former partners against the specific allegations before reaching verdicts.
Where to get help
If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual violence in New Zealand, support is available. If it is an emergency and you feel that you or someone else is at risk, call 111. You can also contact the national helpline for victims of sexual violence, Safe to Talk, 24 hours a day, on 0800 044 334.
Russell Brand trial: key facts
What is Russell Brand accused of?
He is charged with three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of attempted indecent assault, alleged to have been committed against six women in the UK between 1999 and 2009. He denies all charges.
Where is the trial taking place?
At Southwark Crown Court in London. His wife Laura Brand gave evidence for the defence on Thursday.
What did Laura Brand say about his promiscuity?
She said she was heartbroken when their first relationship ended in 2007 because he was engaging with other women, and that it was clear monogamy was difficult for him.