As the storm surrounding convicted rapist Russell Brand intensified last week, his most steadfast supporter remained at the centre of it all: his devoted wife, Laura.
Wearing sunglasses and maintaining a composed demeanour, she held Brand’s hand as he arrived at and left Southwark Crown Court during every day of his trial. Inside Courtroom Three, she took detailed notes as six women gave harrowing and, at times, deeply disturbing evidence about alleged rape and sexual assaults committed by Brand.
The message appeared unmistakable. Laura was standing by her husband without reservation, despite allegations that had followed him for years and which she had chosen to hear in full during the trial.
Nothing she heard was enough to persuade her that he was guilty.
Now, as the disgraced former comedian and BBC Radio 2 presenter faces a lengthy prison sentence when he is sentenced tomorrow, people close to Laura’s family have told The Mail on Sunday that they are deeply worried about her.
They claim Laura was ‘totally brainwashed’ by Brand into believing he was innocent of the serious offences for which he has been convicted.
Her family is said to be particularly troubled that Laura – the daughter of golfing great Bernard Gallacher and his wife, Lesley – ‘simply didn’t believe much of what [Brand’s victims] said’.
She is reportedly continuing to support Brand and is even ‘determined’ that he should appeal against his conviction.
Laura Gallacher leaves court after husband Russell Brand is found guilty
Friends say the situation reflects a pattern that has emerged during the couple’s nine-year marriage. Brand, 51, the father of Laura’s three children, is said to have exercised such a powerful influence over her that she came to believe he was incapable of wrongdoing.
They also claim Brand – now a born-again Christian with 6.6 million subscribers, most of them in the US, to his spiritual YouTube channel – played a central role in Laura’s decision to embrace religion.
Sources say the family now feels some relief that Brand’s imprisonment could give Laura, 39, the opportunity to build a life away from his influence. They hope she may eventually recognise the hold he had over her.
With time, they also believe she might reconsider her view of his guilt.
‘Russell gets what Russell wants,’ one family friend said. ‘He has that charm and swagger, and Laura is besotted with him. She follows what he wants; it’s as if he has totally brainwashed her.
‘But now she will be separated from him for what could be many years. That will end, and it is a huge relief to those who love Laura. This is her opportunity, if she chooses to take it, to begin a life with someone far, far nicer than Russell.’
Laura’s unwavering faith in her husband was apparent to those watching the trial, intensifying concerns among people close to her.
As she arrived each day in a blacked-out people carrier, observers noticed what appeared to be her ‘growing anger’ while listening to the women’s evidence. Sources say she regarded their accounts as ‘lies’. The couple’s regular YouTube programme, Sunday Service With The Brands – a homespun Christian show featuring Bible readings, prayers and spiritual reflections, alongside discussions about marriage and family – has also highlighted Laura’s loyalty to Brand.
In one video posted two weeks ago, while the trial was under way, Laura appears fresh-faced as she holds Brand’s gaze. She nods while he describes the ‘very, very unusual time in our marriage’ and speaks about the need for ‘true justice’.
The couple on their religious-themed Sunday morning podcast
Hi, I’m Alex Matthews, Editor of The Crime Desk.
Russell Brand has been found guilty of rape and three sexual assaults, while our reporters Caroline Cheetham and Liz Hull attended court throughout the trial. They spoke to Detective Inspector Laura Nelson, who explained why the women who accused Brand in the documentary were not involved in his rape trial.
Subscribe to The Crime Desk to listen to the podcast.
The couple maintain eye contact as Laura explains that she put on her ‘armour’ before attending the trial in south London.
‘I already get nervous driving around the corner,’ she says. ‘As soon as you see the name of the street… on Battlebridge [Lane], you put on your armour. That’s how I feel. I immediately start thinking, this is it now, this is it. Get into shape, get into your strength.’
In another video filmed with Brand, Laura says she feels awkward when cameras focus on her but adds that she senses ‘the presence of God’ at such moments. She had also been seen praying inside the courtroom.
Brand’s conviction on Thursday – for one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault involving four victims between 2005 and 2009 – left Laura ‘shocked and extremely upset’, according to sources. She was forced to leave court alone after Brand was remanded in custody.
She is also said to be drawing some comfort from the fact that Brand was acquitted of two further rape charges and one count of attempted indecent assault.
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‘Laura has been in shock ever since the jury convicted Russell,’ one friend said.
‘She believes he is innocent and says the split verdict proves it. He was cleared of three of the seven charges, and Laura sees that as meaning the jury did not believe half of the women.’
Sources say Laura is angry that Brand was remanded to HMP Wandsworth, preventing him from spending the weekend with her and their children. She believes he has been ‘badly treated’.
After Brand was jailed on Thursday night, Laura stayed at her parents’ home in Ascot, Berkshire. The next morning, she returned to the couple’s home near Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire, around 20 miles away.
The family has spent much of its time in Florida, although Laura is expected to remain in Britain to stay close to Brand while he serves his sentence.
The Gallacher family, including Laura’s older sister, former Sky Sports presenter Kirsty Gallacher, are said to be ‘rallying around’ Laura and the children: nine-year-old Mabel, seven-year-old Peggy and their three-year-old son, whose name has not been made public.
‘Laura’s loved ones are now concentrating on her and the children, and on what happens to them,’ the source added.
There are also ongoing criminal investigations that could result in further charges. Brand faces rape allegations involving two additional women, including a 16-year-old girl, which are being investigated by the Metropolitan Police.
The family is therefore keen to keep Laura close and would ideally like her to move nearer to them in Henley.
‘It is very possible that Russell will face another trial, so Laura will want to support him through that. But it is too early for anyone to know what the future holds,’ the family friend said.
Ms Gallacher’s father, former golfer Bernard Gallacher, went to Brand’s trial to support his daughter
‘Kirsty and Laura are close, so it makes sense for Laura to be back here, near her husband and her family, before seeing what happens next.’
The scandal has been ‘very difficult’ for the entire family and left Bernard, who captained Europe’s Ryder Cup team three times, ‘heartbroken’. It has also ‘taken its toll’ on Lesley.
For Kirsty, who had grown ‘very close’ to Brand, his downfall has been a profound shock.
She is also said to have believed he was innocent. Friends say she feels guilty that her own connection to Brand – they shared a management team – led Laura to meet him at a gig when she was 19.
Friends say Brand became a ‘rock’ for Kirsty after her divorce from former England rugby player Paul Sampson in 2015, and again after her drink-driving conviction two years later.
‘Kirsty has spoken openly about Russell being someone she turned to for advice,’ a friend of the Gallacher family said. ‘She described him as a sounding board during difficult periods, and there were several of those. She particularly struggled after her drink-driving conviction.
‘Russell was always available to advise her. In return, she supported him and believed he was innocent of the appalling crimes of which he was accused.
‘She adored Russell. He played the wise old owl in her life, and she said she felt incredibly fortunate to have him there. She was always pleased that she had introduced them; now she feels some guilt.’
People who knew Laura before her relationship with Brand describe her as a fun-loving young woman who laughed easily.
After being introduced by Kirsty, Laura and Brand briefly dated. They reunited a decade later in 2015 after a chance encounter on London’s Grand Union Canal. Brand had recently separated from his first wife, American pop star Katy Perry.
Laura became pregnant soon afterwards and left her career in the restaurant industry. She went on to write and illustrate children’s books and became a ‘mummy blogger’, documenting aspects of family life online.
In April last year, shortly before Brand was charged, he announced that the family had moved into a rented £1 million mansion in Florida as he continued building his audience in the United States.
Sources believe Laura may continue presenting the couple’s YouTube programme alone. ‘It is the kind of thing that would make Russell happy,’ one friend said.
Whether she will eventually change her view of Brand’s guilt is something her family and friends can only hope may happen during his continued absence.
‘There is still so much that could happen,’ the source said. ‘You cannot help thinking Laura’s life would have been far less painful if the two of them had never met.’
