Jemima Goldsmith speaks out about alleged abuse by Russell Brand

Jemima Goldsmith has spoken publicly about violence, coercive control and abuse during her relationship with British actor Russell Brand, who has been jailed for 10-and-a-half years for rape and sexual assault.

In a statement posted on X, Goldsmith said that she had her own “personal experience of his violence, coercive control and abuse”, including an incident in 2014 that led her to call police to have Brand removed from her home.

She said that she had refrained from filing charges at the time because she feared the media attention it would bring and the possible impact on her children. “I have neither seen nor spoken to Brand since that period in 2014," she added. "Whilst my pain in relation to this, pales in comparison to what the women have testified in court have suffered, this was a difficult period in my life which has had a lasting impact."

Goldsmith said she had helped journalists over several years with their efforts to expose Brand. She also said she had agreed to testify about his abusive behaviour if the newspaper that published accounts from his victims faced legal action.

She said she was and had always been “strongly and unequivocally on the side of all of Brand’s victims”, adding: “I am in awe of the courageous women who came forward at Brand’s trial, told their stories, testified and ensured justice was done.”

Tweet by Jemima Goldsmith

Rosamund Urwin, chief news correspondent at The Sunday Times and part of the newspaper’s 2023 investigation into Brand, said Goldsmith had provided considerable assistance to the journalists.

Speaking to the BBC, Urwin also expressed concern about the online abuse Goldsmith had faced. She said the circumstances surrounding Goldsmith’s experience were more complicated than many people realised.

“I wish people would remember women that come forward are brave people and that is what she has done tonight – she has spoken out with immense bravery about how Russell Brand treated her,” Urwin said.

Brand was sentenced on Monday after a jury convicted him last week of one count of rape and three sexual assaults involving four women between 2004 and 2009. He was acquitted of two other rape charges and one count of attempted indecent assault.

His legal team has 28 days to seek permission to appeal against either the conviction or the sentence. He must serve at least two-thirds of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole.