Television presenter Vanessa Feltz has revealed that she ended her friendship with Russell Brand after he repeatedly made inappropriate sexual remarks about her two daughters during a television appearance in 2006.
Speaking on her LBC radio show, Vanessa recalled feeling horrified and disgusted when the comedian asked whether he could have sex with her or either of her daughters during an interview on his MTV programme, 1 Leicester Square.
At the time, her youngest daughter was just 15 years old.
Vanessa said the incident permanently changed how she viewed Brand and made her stop associating with him.
She explained: “I wasn’t able to laugh it off, I didn’t want to laugh it off, I didn’t think it was at all funny. I was horrified, I was absolutely disgusted.”
Despite the audience laughing loudly during the exchange, Vanessa said she could not pretend to find his comments entertaining.
“It didn’t feel like a joke and I stopped being friendly with him that night,” she added.
The 2006 Television Exchange That Shocked Vanessa
During the interview, Brand repeatedly questioned Vanessa about whether he could have sex with her or her daughters.
He initially asked: “Can I have it off with either you or your daughters?”
Vanessa immediately rejected the suggestion, responding: “No, you may not.”
However, Brand continued pressing her, arguing that some of her daughters were adults.
Vanessa then made it clear that she had two daughters and her answer remained no.
When Brand asked whether neither daughter was available, she replied: “Neither,” before telling him to stop.
The comedian continued making remarks about her refusal, joking that she had two daughters but would not allow him to have even one.
Vanessa responded by telling him that he would understand her position when he had daughters of his own.
Brand subsequently claimed that he would not sleep with his own children, describing his earlier comments as a joke.
He said: “I’m only mucking about, I’m not actually going to sleep with my own kids. It’s only a joke. It’s only words.”
Vanessa, however, maintained that she did not consider the exchange humorous.
Vanessa Feltz Describes Brand as Chilling and Intimidating
Vanessa had previously discussed the encounter on Good Morning Britain following Brand’s conviction for rape.
She admitted that she had initially found him entertaining and had been captivated by his personality and presenting style.
She said: “I was quite friendly with him. I found him vastly entertaining. I was absolutely mesmerized by the stream of words, the charisma. I’d never seen a presenter anything like him.”
However, his remarks about her daughters changed her perception of him.
Vanessa said she found it particularly disturbing that he announced his desire to have sex with her and both daughters in such a dispassionate manner, especially knowing that her youngest was only 15.
She described the encounter as revealing something frightening about his personality.
According to Vanessa, she eventually concluded that Brand appeared to enjoy exercising power over women, particularly those who did not want sexual relationships with him.
Presenter Recalls Alleged Assault Involving Rolf Harris
During her LBC programme, Vanessa also revisited an incident involving convicted sex offender Rolf Harris, whom she said assaulted her while they were appearing on Channel 4’s The Big Breakfast.
She recalled that Harris’s wife was nearby during the incident and said his public reputation made it difficult for her to imagine making a complaint.
At the time, Harris was widely admired, and Vanessa said she never considered publicly challenging his behaviour.
She explained that she remained silent about the incident, although she told her then-husband and a small number of friends.
Vanessa said: “There was no chance on earth that I would have dreamt of launching a complaint or making any sort of fuss about it.”
She added that she did not speak publicly about what happened.
Vanessa Explains Why Sexual Assault Victims May Be Afraid to Report
The presenter also discussed the difficulties victims of sexual assault and rape can face when deciding whether to report their experiences, particularly when the alleged perpetrator is a well-known public figure.
She acknowledged that reporting such incidents could be traumatic, frightening and emotionally challenging.
Vanessa said the prospect of facing questioning from an attacker’s legal representatives, including suggestions that a victim was lying, had consented or had a history of promiscuity, could discourage women from coming forward.
She said the possibility of being subjected to such scrutiny would be enough to deter many victims from reporting their experiences.
Her comments came as she reflected on her own experiences and the challenges women can encounter when speaking publicly about sexual misconduct involving influential personalities.
Russell Brand Faces Lengthy Prison Sentence Following Rape Conviction
Vanessa’s comments come as Brand faces the prospect of a lengthy prison sentence after being found guilty of rape.
Her recollections of their 2006 television encounter have brought renewed attention to the remarks he made about her daughters and the moment she decided to end their friendship.
