Katie Glass, writing in The Times, has described an unexpected exchange with Russell Brand during an interview conducted two days after his wedding to Laura Gallacher. The interview took place in 2017, when Brand was promoting his book Recovery and presenting himself as a man who had undergone a spiritual transformation.
The hotel interview
The meeting was held at a luxury hotel on the outskirts of London. Glass recalled first encountering Brand years earlier, when he would appear backstage alongside Amy Winehouse and flirt with make-up artists. By the time of the interview, she wrote, he was 42 and in what she called his "man bun era."
She said: "Now he was 42. Gone was the kohl-eyed Jack Sparrow look — he was in his man bun era. He was peddling his reinvention as a spiritual guru. I didn't buy it."
He had married Laura just two days earlier, and their daughter was ten months old. Glass said she was surprised by his behaviour towards her during the meeting. She recalled how he complimented her "Malteser" eyes before asking: "Do you want a cuddle?" He then gave her one.
Charm and repeated use of her name
Glass described Brand as possessing a magnetic confidence, comparing his charisma to that typically associated with cult leaders and rock stars. She said: "He did not seem a monster, as Tina Brown considered Harvey Weinstein, but then it is a misconception to think all dangerous men are overtly monstrous."
She added: "He was charming, flirtatious, clever, offering me food, water and coffee, name-dropping Buddhist teachers and the Dalai Lama, asking if we'd met before. He must have met a lot of women."
She recalled how he repeatedly used her first name, saying: "I don't know, Katie," while looking into her eyes. He had also arrived late and, when she requested additional interview time, responded: "I'm not a very complicated person. I think an hour — you'll have drained every possible drop from me…"
Questions on regret
Glass said she was unconvinced by his presentation of himself as someone who had found spiritual salvation. She recalled asking him about his biggest regret from his time as a sex addict, having expected him to express guilt over his previous behaviour. Instead, he replied: "I don't have any."
When she questioned whether he regretted any of his behaviour, he said those experiences "don't exist now. It's not real. It's an illusion. I'm really content and connected to where I am."
She added: "It is possible to fancy someone and dislike them. I felt like he disliked women. In his stand-up he dehumanised them, joking about choking them during sex acts." One anecdote involved an orgy at his home, which he described by saying: "Four in the bed, two in the kitchen, three in the hot tub and still the doorbell rings."
Conviction and sentencing
Her recollections come after Brand was convicted on Thursday of raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others. The 51-year-old was found guilty of raping a 21-year-old fan in 2009 and sexually assaulting three women in separate incidents between 2004 and 2009.
He was acquitted of two further rape charges and one count of attempted indecent assault. Brand denied all the charges, with his legal team arguing he had been wrongly accused and was the victim of a media conspiracy.
Two further allegations against him are also being investigated, while he remains in custody ahead of sentencing on Monday.
