Ferne McCann has revealed she had a one-night stand with Russell Brand when she was 18, while he was 33. The Only Way is Essex star, now 36, detailed their three-month fling in her autobiography, recounting how they met after one of his stand-up gigs.
Meeting Backstage and the Hot Tub
McCann said she first met Brand after a gig he performed in Brixton, and they later encountered each other backstage at the Jonathan Ross Show. She described being invited back to his house with friends, where they ended up in a hot tub.
“I was 18 when I first met Russell after a gig he’d done in Brixton. I really did fancy him. He invited me and the girls I was with back to his house… After a while we all got in the hot tub in our bras and knickers,” she said.
“Then we went upstairs while the others were roaming around downstairs. One thing led to another. He led the way and the sex just happened.”
Reflecting on the Fling
McCann claimed no alcohol was involved as Brand was “teetotal”. She said they “had a good time together in and out of the bed”, but admitted: “The first time we slept together I was very naïve and star-struck. I knew then that it was just a one-night thing and I honestly didn’t care.”
She added that when they met again a year later, when she was 24, she was “more mature and knew what I wanted”. She said: “That was when Russell really did live up to his reputation. And I was a woman – not a girl – so I could enjoy it.”
Persistent Pursuit and Later Denial
During their fling, McCann said they watched documentaries together about bands like The Stone Roses, who she had not known beforehand. She later told OK Magazine: “I let it fizzle out because I wanted more from him than I was getting.”
“I remember him texting me on Shrove Tuesday saying he would send a horse and carriage to get me and bring me back to his house for pancakes. He was certainly very persistent!” She added: “It was really surreal as I was quite young and he was at the height of his fame – I couldn’t believe that he was interested in me. I have to admit it was quite exciting.”
Brand initially denied ever meeting McCann until a picture of them together was posted by her TOWIE co-star Sam Faiers. Brand, now 51, is a convicted sex offender.
