Russell Brand’s wife hails ‘kind’ husband but tells court he cheated when dating

Russell Brand’s wife has told his rape trial her husband is “caring” and “kind” and there is honesty at the centre of their marriage.

Laura Brand, the sister of TV presenter Kirsty Gallagher, told Southwark Crown Court on Thursday the comedian slept with other women when they first dated in 2006 and 2007.

She said they rekindled their romance in 2015, married two years later, and they now have three children together.

She told jurors: “Russell, my husband, is caring, he is kind, he is a wonderful father to our children.

“He is an amazingly attentive husband.

“He has got an eye for detail I’ve never known before.

“The way he treats me is to really know me, I feel very seen by him in every way.

Russell Brand and his wife Laura arriving at Southwark Crown Court on Thursday (Jordan Pettitt/PA)

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“I love him very much.”

The court heard Brand was introduced to his future wife in August 2006 after her sister arranged tickets for one of Brand’s shows.

She told the court the show was “extremely entertaining”, including “very explicit” material, and afterwards she approached Brand in the foyer to thank him for the tickets.

“He obviously acknowledged my friend, who is very beautiful, and said to my friend have you got a boyfriend?

“She said ‘yes, I do’, and he looked at me and said ‘tell me you don’t have a boyfriend’ and I said no.”

Mrs Brand said he accepted her wish not to have full sex on their first date, telling the court: “I didn’t intend to, and I don’t remember him asking.”

She said Brand had been “totally caring”, and let the relationship progress “totally at my pace”.

She said: “I was not experienced, I had only had one partner before Russell.

“I felt entirely cared for and looked after by Russell.”

Mrs Brand said she knew about his reputation before they met – “he liked women” – and she learned while they were dating that he had been having sex with other people.

Russell Brand gave evidence to his rape trial on Wednesday (Elizabeth Cook/PA)

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She said: “I wasn’t interested in having a relationship with him if he was sleeping with other people.

“I was invested, we both had told each other we loved each other, but it was clear it was difficult for him to be monogamous.”

She said they stayed friends as Brand had a brief marriage to singer Katy Perry, and they got back together as a couple in 2015 and married in 2017.

Asked if she was “aware of his promiscuity” during their time apart, she said: “I was very aware of it. I could read about it regularly in the papers, so I was aware of it and he also told me.”

Turning to their relationship now, she said: “We have a very honest, frank, and clear relationship and marriage.

“It is one of the most important parts of our marriage, and our relationship has always been honest.”

Earlier, statements from two of Brand’s ex-girlfriends were read to the court, as they gave good accounts of his character and also said he had cheated on them.

During his wife’s evidence, Brand could be seen smiling and laughing at times, and he appeared to be mouthing words towards his wife as she talked about his 2024 baptism.

After she concluded her evidence, jurors were sent away by the judge until Friday morning.

Brand faces claims that he raped and sexually assaulted women over the course of 10 years of his showbiz career.

In evidence on Wednesday, he insisted consent is “non-negotiable” and told jurors it is “more important than sex itself”.

He denies three charges of rape, three counts of sexual assault, and one count of attempted indecent assault.