Their abrupt breakup sent shockwaves through the entertainment world.
In the 15 years since divorcing Russell Brand, Katy Perry has largely maintained what fans have described as a ‘dignified silence’.
Although she has not commented publicly on his conviction for rape and sexual assault, the Mail on Sunday understands that the pop star is considering revealing the truth about her ‘dark marriage’ in a book and docuseries.
People close to the singer say she wanted to wait until Brand’s trial had concluded before finalising any agreement. She has reportedly been in ‘active discussions’ about sharing her account of their 14-month marriage, which ended in 2011.
A well-placed Hollywood source said: ‘Katy has received several offers over the years to tell her story, but she would not consider them until after the trial. She has a great deal to say.
‘She is now considering a Netflix-style series as well as an autobiography. She and her team have been in active discussions.
‘There is much about that marriage that people do not know. It was an extremely dark period in her life.’
The source said Ms Perry’s representatives had contacted major streaming platforms, including Netflix and Hulu.
Katy Perry with her then-husband Russell Brand at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles
Ms Perry was reportedly furious after her husband shared this photograph of her waking up in bed without make-up. The image was quickly deleted
Ms Perry, 42, was not called to give evidence at the trial. However, court proceedings have indicated that she may have been in the room during one of the sexual assaults alleged to have taken place in 2009.
Brand, 51, was convicted of sexually assaulting a female Channel 4 employee after asking her for a massage before ‘thrusting and pressing his head into her lap around her groin area’, leaving her feeling ‘repulsed’.
In legal submissions made before Brand’s rape trial and released after his conviction, his barrister Ian Winter KC said of the 2009 incident: ‘The victim says that other people were in the room and witnessed it, possibly including the defendant’s future wife, Ms Katy Perry.’
Brand’s defence successfully argued that his marriage to the singer was unrelated to the allegations, and prosecutors agreed not to refer to her during the trial.
The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed that Ms Perry, who is now dating former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, was never contacted by police or asked to provide a witness statement.
The couple met in 2009 while Brand was filming Get Him To The Greek and married the following year in a Hindu ceremony in India.
Their relationship had ended by late 2011, with Brand informing Ms Perry by text that he was leaving her moments before she was due to perform on stage.
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The I Kissed A Girl and Firework singer has suggested that she knows more about Brand’s darker side. This summer, she told fans that he should be ‘in jail’. She has not publicly addressed his conviction.
Ms Perry performs at the Blenheim Palace Festival in July. Sources close to the singer say she has been in ‘active discussions’ about telling her side of her 14-month marriage to Brand
Russell Brand removed his wedding ring and joked about bedding college students weeks before filing for divorce from Ms Perry in November 2011
Hello, I’m Alex Matthews, Editor of The Crime Desk.
Russell Brand has been found guilty of rape and three sexual assaults, with our reporters Caroline Cheetham and Liz Hull in court throughout the trial. They spoke to Detective Inspector Laura Nelson, who explained why the women who accused him in the documentary were not involved in his rape trial.
Subscribe to The Crime Desk to hear the podcast.
In a 2013 interview with Vogue, Ms Perry said: ‘When I first met him, he wanted an equal. I think a lot of the time strong men do want an equal, but once they have that equal, they think, I can’t handle the equality.
‘He did not like the atmosphere created by me being the boss on tour. That was very hurtful, and it was controlling, which was upsetting.
‘I felt a great deal of responsibility for the relationship ending. But then I discovered the real truth, which I cannot necessarily reveal because I keep it locked in my safe for a rainy day.’
Brand reportedly humiliated Ms Perry weeks before their December 2011 split by removing his wedding ring and joking about ‘bedding’ college students during a university tour of the United States.
In a video published on the Nudevista website, he said he was preparing for what he called ‘a week of revolution’.
Brand told viewers that he was eager to experience the antics of female students first-hand. He then deliberately removed his wedding ring and joked that he would keep it ‘somewhere very, very safe’ while travelling.
He added: ‘I don’t know what a sorority is, other than what I have seen online: that they are sort of sex clubs for women.’
There had been warning signs earlier that the marriage was under strain.
Ms Perry was reportedly furious after her husband posted a social-media photograph showing her waking up in bed without make-up. The image was removed soon afterwards.
She later spent a decade in a relationship with actor Orlando Bloom, with whom she has a daughter. Representatives for Ms Perry were approached for comment.
