Russell Brand breaks silence about ‘beloved’ wife Laura – hours before rape charges

Russell Brand has been charged with multiple instances of rape and sexual assault following a Channel 4 documentary and investigation from the Sunday Times that was made public in 2023.

While many of Russell’s friends stopped associating with him in the wake of the allegations, which he denies, one person who has seemingly steadfastly stuck by his side is his wife, Laura Gallacher. Russell shares three children with the restaurateur and blogger.

© Getty

Hours before the charges were announced, Russell opened up about his wife on his Instagram channel. In the clip, he addressed his former marriage to Katy Perry, saying he had “nothing but respect” for her despite “disagreeing with her political views”. He then added: “I probably disagree with some of my [current] wife’s political views, my beloved wife Laura Brand’s political views.”

Here’s all you need to know about the comedian’s other half…

Biography and relationship with Russell

Laura Brand, formerly known as Laura Gallacher, is the daughter of golfer Bernard Gallacher and the sister of sports commentator Kirsty Gallacher. It was Kirsty who originally introduced the couple back in 2007; at the time, Russell was 30 while Laura was 19.

The age gap has never bothered the couple, with Russell once remarking to Stylist: “We met when she was 19 and I was 30. She fully loves me for what I am. She’s not interested in the famous person at all.”

© GC Images

Russell and Laura entered into a relationship; however, it ended up not working out with Russell eventually going on to marry pop star Katy Perry.

Alongside her culinary business, Laura studied art at university and is also a published author and blogger. Among her works are The Joy Journal for Magical Everyday Play: Easy Activities & Creative Craft for Kids and Their Grown-ups and Slow Down and Be Here Now.

© Alamy Stock Photo

Laura and Russell ended up reconnecting in 2015 after Laura had experienced a break up with a former partner. Speaking to Grazia, she revealed that a friend convinced her to go on a walk with them, during which she met Russell by chance.

The flames were reignited and reflecting on where they were now, Laura confessed to You: “I remember him saying, ‘I think I want a quiet life and a family,’ and it was exactly what I wanted. So, then it was about seeing if we could build a foundation to make that happen.”

Wedding

Russell proposed to Laura in July 2016 and the pair tied the knot in August 2017, celebrating at an Indian-themed wedding reception close to their home in Henley-on-Thames, Oxford. Among the guests were Noel Gallagher, Jonathan Ross and David Baddiel.

© GC Images

Shortly after their wedding, the actor revealed on his Radio X podcast that he was “living a married life now…I’m domestic.”

Children

Russell and Laura have three children together. Their daughter Mabel was born in November 2016 and in July 2018, the couple welcomed their second child, Peggy, just a month after announcing the surprise pregnancy. Their third child, a son, was born in 2023, with the comedian confirming the news during an interview with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson.

Russell said his son was undergoing heart surgery when the investigation was published, telling the former Fox News host: “I mention my son because throughout it I was able to maintain what is really important in life.”

© GC Images

Back in 2017, he opened up to Stellar magazine about life as a dad, explaining: “She grabs my face, closes her first and twists it. I quite like that. Nothing she does annoys me. It’s a lack of control: she’ll punch and I’ll surrender.”

During an appearance on ITV’s Lorraine in 2017, shortly after the birth of Mabel, Russell revealed: “It’s so extraordinary to find such comfort and peace in a way; things are obvious, getting married, having a baby, I feel very relaxed, surprised but relaxed,” he said. “I was watching my wife singing to our daughter, I thought wow this is happening, I am the father in this relationship, it felt beautiful.”

Rape allegations and charge

Five women have accused comedian Russell of sexual assault and rape, as well as coercive and emotional abuse. The report was published on 15 September 2023. The allegations date from between 2006 and 2013 during the height of Russell’s career; one of the women claims that she first met the comedian when she was 16 and entered into a three-month-long relationship with him.

Two other women claimed that he attacked them when he lived in Los Angeles, with one saying she was treated in a rape crisis centre on the same day and that he had sent her text messages saying he was “very sorry” when she texted him to say: “When a girl says NO it means no.”

© Carl Court

The third said that Russell threatened to take legal action against her if she went public with her allegations.

On 4 April 2025, Russell was charged with oral rape and two counts of sexual assault over a seven-year period according to police. He is expected to appear in court on 2 May.

Russell’s response

At the time of the investigation, Russell said: “These allegations pertain to the time when I was working in the mainstream, when I was in the newspapers all the time, when I was in the movies. As I’ve written about extensively in my books, I was very, very promiscuous. Now, during that time of promiscuity, the relationships I had were absolutely always consensual.

“I was always transparent about that then – almost too transparent – and I’m being transparent about it now as well. And to see that transparency metastasized into something criminal, that I absolutely deny, makes me question: Is there another agenda at play? It feels to me like there’s a serious and concerted agenda to control these kinds of spaces and these kinds of voices.”

He added that there are “witnesses whose evidence directly contradicts the narratives that these two mainstream media outlets are trying to construct,” and that he would not share further details due to the seriousness of the allegations.