Russell Brand's former lover Georgina Ballie has said he 'needs to make amends' with his victims after he was found guilty of rape and sexual assault on Thursday. Ballie, 41, the granddaughter of the late Fawlty Towers star Andrew Sachs, was at the centre of the 2008 Sachsgate scandal when Brand broadcast lewd answerphone messages he left for the veteran actor about Ballie.
Ballie's Reaction to the Verdict
Following the guilty verdict, she told 5 News: "The most important thing is to admit your mistakes and correct them as much as you can. Now if they've proven that he's done these things... that's what needs to happen. He needs to make amends."
She also claims to have provided a statement for Brand's defence, although it was not used at the trial. In a separate interview with the Daily Mail, she said: "I answered their questions about like, did he ever do anything to me that could be considered not consensual? I had to tell the truth, which was no. Then they asked the more nuanced questions, like, could you see Russell doing this to any other women; was he ever aggressive? And again, all I've got is my experience. I said no because that's true, for me."
Empathy for Victims and Personal Impact
Ballie stressed her empathy for Brand's victims. Speaking to 5 News she said, "I'm really sad that he's been found guilty because I really thought that I had a better judge of character than this, but I am open-minded enough to know that I can be wrong."
In the interview published after the broadcast, she backed up what she had said and added, "He's been found guilty. He needs to make the amends. Owning up would be the first part of the amends and the second part would be whatever measures are necessary to put these girls back together."
She went on to share how the Radio 2 incident ruined her life, adding how she felt she was seen as a 'whore' and felt as if 'it didn't matter' what she did next. She shared that she spiralled into addiction and that her relationship with her grandparents was non-existent afterwards. Ballie claims Brand apologised and paid for her to attend rehab in 2018 in Staffordshire, where she spent six months. But she later relapsed.
Reflecting on the Relationship
Reflecting on their 'relationship' she said: "We were pretty much seeing each other just for sex. It was a very casual relationship. But over the one and a half or two years, I think we did start to quite like each other. Though I probably liked him more than he liked me."
If you've been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999.
