Katy Perry has previously opened up about her "tornado" marriage to Russell Brand, and even appeared to take a pointed dig at her now-disgraced former partner. Brand was found guilty of rape and sexual assault on Thursday, and will be sentenced on Monday as he faces a lengthy spell in prison.
The former comedian and actor, now 51, was found guilty at Southwark Crown Court of raping a woman in 2009, as well as sexually assaulting female TV and radio workers between 2004 and 2009. Mr Justice Bennathan ordered Brand to start his prison sentence immediately after being found guilty last Thursday afternoon, sending him straight to prison.
The judge will pass sentence on Monday, telling the shamed star how long he must now serve in custody. He is currently married to Laura Gallacher, 39, an author and illustrator. The couple wed in 2017. Gallacher left court in tears after the guilty verdicts, while Brand was last seen mouthing "I'm OK" to his lawyers before being led to the cells.
Perry's Past Remarks on Brand
Prior to this, Brand and Perry married in 2010, before divorcing after just 14 months in 2012. The pop star has spoken about her marriage to Brand and other relationships on only a handful of occasions, including one notable interview where she appeared to deliver a cutting remark about her former spouse, reports the Express.
During an appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast, Perry stopped short of naming Brand directly, but revealed she was "no longer attracted to narcissists." She said: "Anyone that is constantly changing the goalpost or pulling the rug out from you emotionally, not it. Anyone that says that they know you better than you know yourself. Someone that just won't help."
Perry also reflected on her marriage to Brand in 2013, recounting what she described as "controlling" and "hurtful" conduct. She told Vogue: "He's a very smart man, and I was in love with him when I married him. Let's just say I haven't heard from him since he texted me saying he was divorcing me December 31, 2011." Perry is now in a relationship with former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Brand's Testimony and Trial Details
Pop star Perry's name was removed from the prosecution's case against Russell Brand. In legal arguments presented before proceedings commenced, Riel Karmy-Jones outlined: "The prosecution recognise that matters post 2009 involving his relationship with Katy Perry may be sensitive, as may his previous faiths, and we are content to remove these from the opening." She also consented to removing references to Brand's baptism in the River Thames at Henley in 2024, an event which saw television personality Bear Grylls in attendance.
During his testimony, Brand spoke about his brief marriage to Perry, describing how he had reached "staggering fame" during that period. Their relationship began following their initial meeting on the set of Get Him To The Greek in 2009, but had ended by late 2011. The Crown Prosecution Service has stated that Perry was not approached to provide a witness statement throughout the inquiry into Brand.
Senior crown prosecutor David Roberts explained: "We followed all reasonable lines of inquiry in statements that would have been relevant to the specific charges and I'm satisfied that all reasonable lines of inquiry were covered."
A four-week trial heard how Brand preyed on women that he encountered on his way to becoming one of Britain's best-known comedians, a lauded TV and radio host, and a Hollywood actor who was briefly married to singer Katy Perry. He claimed to have only ever had consensual sex during a "promiscuous" life, which he insisted had been packed with "idiocy" but never illegal.
But his victims told a different story, of a famous and powerful man who kissed and groped women within seconds of meeting them, pursued his sexual ambitions relentlessly, and laughed at and gaslit women after the attacks. Friends and former colleagues of Brand also came forward to give evidence of his ambition to sleep with 5,000 women, an "insane" sexual appetite, and his bad behaviour towards women being "normalised" as he became increasingly famous.
Brand was convicted by the jury of raping a 21-year-old fan in 2009, after meeting her following one of his stand-up shows at the Hammersmith Apollo. The woman told jurors she was a huge Brand fan and had willingly engaged in a threesome with him backstage despite having a boyfriend at the time. She agreed to go to Brand's Hampstead home for sex a few days later, but a consensual encounter turned into rape when the comedian suddenly forced the woman into anal sex.
