Georgina Baillie, the granddaughter of Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs, has detailed the lasting damage Russell Brand's 2008 Radio 2 prank call scandal inflicted on her life, describing the comedian as "a seriously unwell sex addict" who later paid for her rehabilitation.
In a fresh interview, the former dancer, now 41, said the controversy she faced at 21 sent her into a downward spiral of addiction. Brand was convicted of rape and sexual assault on Thursday.
The Sachsgate Scandal
The 2008 incident saw Brand broadcast crude answerphone messages he had left for Andrew Sachs, who had failed to appear on the programme, making explicit remarks about Baillie. Brand stepped down from Radio 2, while co-host Jonathan Ross received a three-month suspension.
At the time, Baillie performed with a burlesque dance group known as the 'Satanic Sluts'. The controversy destroyed her relationship with her grandfather, and she saw him only once more before his death in 2016 at the age of 86.
Addiction and Rehab
Baillie alleges that after the Radio 2 controversy, Brand expressed remorse and funded her stay at a Staffordshire rehabilitation facility in 2018, where she remained for six months. She subsequently suffered a relapse.
She stated: "It was bullying towards my grandfather. Regardless of if I'm the biggest whore in the whole world, it doesn't matter. It's still bullying.... I thought I'm already a whore in your eyes so let's give you whore then. It made me feel like, it doesn't matter what I do now."
Recovery and Call for Amends
Baillie has now maintained sobriety for six years and works as an artist while hosting a podcast on addiction. While she acknowledges Brand's help in her battle, she believes his £16m fortune should go toward supporting his victims.
"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 said.
