Dannii Minogue's 2006 encounter with Russell Brand has resurfaced online after Brand began his 10-year-and-six-month prison sentence at HMP Wandsworth for sexual crimes. In a past interview with the Mirror, the singer described Brand with two scathing words: "vile predator."
Encounter on MTV show
Back in 2006, Minogue, then 34, was interviewed by a 31-year-old Brand for his MTV show 1 Leicester Square about her album The Hits & Beyond. She later admitted the situation became uncomfortable.
Speaking to the Mirror at the time, the former X Factor judge alleged that Brand had stared at her "fabulous breasts" and followed her down a corridor asking for her phone number.
"He is completely crazy and a bit of a vile predator," she said. "I certainly don't think he has cured his sex addiction, that's for sure. He wouldn't take no for an answer."
Red flags from the start
Minogue said she felt uncomfortable from the very beginning, even before the interview began. "I was told he got sacked from MTV in the past for wearing an Osama bin Laden costume to work the day after September 11. I couldn't believe that I'd just agreed to be interviewed by someone who would do something like that, it really unnerved me."
She added: "And then throughout the whole interview he kept making shocking remarks that I can't even repeat. Just uttering the words would make me blush."
Minogue also commented on Brand's behaviour: "He always goes that step too far. Never quite far enough to slap his face, but usually too far." She noted he was "obviously very intelligent" but wore more make-up than she did, and his charm had not worked on her: "Normally I love guys with eyeliner on. It can be very sexy, but not on Russell. Absolutely no way, never, he's just not my type."
Conviction and sentencing
Brand was convicted of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault involving four women between 2004 and 2009, and was acquitted of other charges on November 5 2026. When reading out his sentence, Mr Justice Bennathan called Brand "a sexual predator" who displayed a "casual, arrogant disregard" for women's wishes.
Following the sentencing, David Roberts, Senior Crown Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "Today, Russell Brand has been sentenced to 10 years and six months imprisonment for one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault, committed against four women between 2004 and 2009."
Roberts added: "We want to thank all the women who were at the heart of this case. They did not know each other, and each has carried what happened to them for almost two decades." He noted that giving evidence in the trial "took extraordinary courage" and that the victims had assisted the court through their Victim Personal Statements.
"Today's sentence cannot undo the harm the victims have lived with, but we hope it brings them some measure of justice," Roberts said. "The evidence presented in this case showed Brand to be a manipulative sexual predator, using his growing fame and power to create situations in which he could pursue women sexually, regardless of what they wanted and with a complete disregard for the impact of his actions."
Roberts concluded: "Today's result shows that fame, status and the passage of time do not change the fundamental issue of consent. No matter who the abuser is, or what the situation or circumstances are, we will always take allegations of rape and sexual assault seriously. I hope this outcome encourages anyone who may have experienced sexual assault to come forward and report what happened, knowing that they will be listened to and supported throughout the process."
