Georgia Harrison has spoken out after her ex-boyfriend Stephen Bear was convicted of breaching a restraining order that was put in place to protect her. Bear, 36, pleaded guilty to the breach after launching an online campaign against Harrison, 31, following his release from prison in early 2024.
Bear's Online Campaign and Guilty Verdict
Bear, who previously served time in prison for illegally sharing a sex tape of the former couple on OnlyFans, used social media to accuse Harrison of being part of a conspiracy against him. Some of his posts were viewed millions of times and included defamatory statements and images of Harrison. The guilty verdict was the result of a hidden plot, Bear claimed.
Harrison, who was pregnant at the time of the campaign, chose not to attend court to see Bear convicted. She told The Sun: "I didn't go to court this week. I didn't stay away because it's too hard. I stayed away because being there would give him the one thing he has always wanted, and the one thing the manosphere machine runs on: attention. A reaction and a spectacle." She added that "attention was worth more" to Bear "than the consequences" of his crimes and that the 'manosphere system' was rewarding him for that. As such, she wanted to focus on changing "the culture".
Harrison's Activism and Legal Background
Harrison first rose to fame on Love Island in 2017, but by 2021 she had become an activist. Her work as a campaigner for women earned her an MBE, making her the first Love Islander to be honoured in this way. She has long campaigned for the law to better protect women and girls from acts of violence.
In January 2021, Bear was arrested after uploading a secretly recorded sex tape of himself and Harrison to his OnlyFans account. The following year, he was found guilty of voyeurism and disclosing private sexual photographs and films. He was sentenced to 21 months in prison and given a five-year restraining order forbidding contact with Harrison. He served just half of his sentence before release.
During the criminal and civil cases, Harrison waived her right to anonymity to raise awareness about the impact of 'revenge porn' on victims. Her campaigning led to the government's crackdown on image-based abuse through reforms to the Online Safety Act, which passed in October 2023.
Support and Sentencing
Labour MP Jess Phillips commended Harrison's bravery, saying she displayed "courage most people will never be asked to find". Phillips also praised Harrison for working to change the law regarding revenge porn and continuing to fight for women and girls.
Bear is due to be sentenced next month at Chelmsford Crown Court.
