Suzi Dent, who gave evidence against Rolf Harris, says she understands why the public struggles to accept that celebrities like Russell Brand can be capable of sexual crimes. Speaking after Brand was found guilty of rape and sexual assault, Dent recalled her own experience at the Harris trial in 2014.
Dent, who was groped and harassed by Harris when she was 24, said the public conversation around famous people facing allegations rarely changes. She noted that the names change, but the emotions do not.
Speaking Out Against Admired Figures
Dent said she knows how difficult it is to speak out against someone the public admires, and why many people struggle to believe the allegations could be true. She suggested people are asking the wrong question about why women wait to come forward, arguing the better question is why it remains so hard to speak in the first place.
She said she did not come forward for attention, but after watching an interview with one of the young women Harris had abused, who was only 14 when assaulted. Dent said she came forward for that woman and for the others, and would do it again.
Public Reaction and Victim Blaming
Dent said she could not understand why people called the women liars or accused them of wanting money, noting there was no money and they wanted justice. She said the public had a journey to make too, as people who had welcomed celebrities into their homes struggled with the idea that they may have abused trust.
She said people were not just losing a celebrity but someone they thought they knew, which does not excuse victim blaming. Dent said she eventually realised they were asking different questions: she asked why they did not believe, while they asked how someone they trusted could have done this.
Waiving Anonymity and Finding Justice
Dent took five years to waive the anonymity granted by British courts, not because she was afraid or ashamed, but because she was watching what was happening and saw millions trying to come to terms with the possibility that a trusted figure was not who they believed. She said many lashed out at the women who had spoken, but she realised the truth had never changed and society needed time to catch up with it.
She described giving evidence in a British court as one of the hardest things she has done, but said being treated with dignity reminded her why justice matters. Dent said society needed time to process, grieve and understand before many could hear the voices of the women who spoke out.
Impact of Celebrity and Finding a Voice
Dent, who worked as a makeup artist in television and film for more than 40 years, said fame does not cause abuse but can make it harder for people to believe it. She said power can create a world where people stop saying no and inappropriate behaviour goes unchallenged, which is why healthy workplace cultures and safeguarding matter.
She said Operation Yewtree changed Britain, giving many people who lived with historical abuse the feeling they were finally heard. Dent said women still contact her after documentaries air, telling her things they have never told anyone else, because they know she will believe them. She said finding your voice can change your life, and her hope is that by sharing hers, someone else might find theirs.
