Laura Gallacher, the wife of Russell Brand, gave evidence at Southwark Crown Court during his rape and sexual assault trial, describing their marriage, his behaviour and their life together. The 39-year-old told jurors he is a "wonderful father" and discussed how they prepared for court each day.
Brand faced seven charges involving six women. He was found guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault, and cleared of three other charges.
Evidence on Their Relationship
During her evidence, Laura was asked by the defence whether her husband respected her when she did not want to be sexual with him. "Yes absolutely," she replied.
She went on to describe their relationship, saying: "The way he treats me is to know me. I feel very seen by him... I love him very much."
Laura also recalled how she first met Brand at the Edinburgh Festival in 2006. After watching one of his performances, she approached him and said: "I'm Laura, Kirsty's sister. That was a great show." He contacted her the following day, she told the court. When they met, they had oral sex, although Laura said: "He might have wanted to have sex but I didn't want to."
Past Relationships and Honesty
She explained that she knew Brand liked women before they met and later discovered he had been sleeping with other people while they were dating. "I wasn't interested in having a relationship with him if he was sleeping with other people," she told the jury. "I was invested, we both had told each other we loved each other, but it was clear it was difficult for him to be monogamous."
Laura said she remained friends with Brand while he was married to singer Katy Perry between 2010 and 2012. They rekindled their relationship in 2015. When asked whether she was aware of his promiscuity during their time apart, she replied: "I was very aware of it. I could read about it regularly in the papers, so I was aware of it and he also told me."
Court Preparations and Media Coverage
Speaking about their marriage, she said: "We have a very honest, frank, and clear relationship and marriage." She added: "It is one of the most important parts of our marriage, and our relationship has always been honest."
Laura also appeared in videos posted on Brand's social media accounts during the trial. In one episode, he complimented her court outfit, telling her: "You've looked absolutely beautiful and spectacular." She replied: "You've looked wonderful too." She revealed they read psalms on their way to court and prayed before going inside.
Speaking about coverage of the case, Laura said: "We are pretty vigilant about not engaging in the media around it, it's too evil, sorry to say." Brand was seen smiling during parts of his wife's evidence and laughed when she told the court: "We do have many friends and there are colleagues, and we are grateful for those people."
