Russell Brand’s romantic past is drawing renewed attention following his prison sentencing, including ex-wife Katy Perry’s description of his behavior during their marriage as “very controlling.”
Years before the comedian was convicted of rape and sexual assault, Perry said Brand struggled with her role as “the boss” of her own career and shared how their whirlwind marriage ended with a text message in which he announced he wanted a divorce.
Now, her past comments are resurfacing alongside renewed interest in Brand’s relationship history, from his brief romance with Spice Girls singer Geri Halliwell to his marriage to his current wife Laura Brand, who testified in his defense.
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Here’s a look back at Brand’s most notable relationships.
Brand described a brief romantic encounter with Kate Moss in his memoir, “Booky Wook 2: This Time It’s Personal,” writing that their connection elevated his celebrity status.
“I could never have anticipated the instant elevation that this liaison would afford me, it was like being awarded a celebrity Victoria Cross,” he wrote, according to the New York Post.
The comedian, who met Moss through a mutual friend, expressed his admiration for the model in the book.
“Kate Moss is the prettiest girl in all our schools,” he wrote. “Behold our queen, but don’t look at her directly or all else you gaze upon till death brings down your lids will be as shadows compared to her beauty.”
In the book, Brand wrote that he became smitten, but their connection faded after he publicly downplayed the encounter to journalists.
Brand and Australian actress Teresa Palmer briefly dated after meeting while filming “Bedtime Stories” in 2008. By July of that year, both were publicly discussing their relationship, with Brand suggesting he was ready to leave his womanizing reputation behind.
“I’m a changed man,” he said at the time, according to Cosmopolitan. “I’ve met someone very beautiful and I’ve settled down.”
Palmer expressed similar enthusiasm about their budding romance.
“We’ve only been together for a month, but it’s going brilliantly,” she said, according to the outlet.
The pair attended the O2 Silver Clef Awards together in London on July 4, 2008, but their relationship was short-lived. By the fall of 2008, the couple had separated.
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Brand and Katy Perry, who met on the set of “Get Him to the Greek” in 2009, announced their engagement in January 2010 before marrying in India on Oct. 23 of that year. Their marriage lasted approximately 14 months before Brand filed for divorce in December 2011.
Perry later discussed their relationship in a 2013 Vogue interview, describing behavior she considered “controlling.”
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“He didn’t like the atmosphere of me being the boss on tour. So that was really hurtful, and it was very controlling, which was upsetting,” she said. “I felt a lot of responsibility for it ending, but then I found out the real truth, which I can’t necessarily disclose because I keep it locked in my safe for a rainy day. I let go, and I was like: This isn’t because of me, this is beyond me. So I have moved on from that.”
During the interview, Perry said Brand informed her of his divorce plans by text message. The moment she received the message was captured on camera and featured in the pop star’s 2012 documentary “Katy Perry: Part of Me.”
Following Brand’s sentencing, another video showing an interaction between Brand and Perry gained traction online.
During an interview at the 2010 Vanity Fair Oscar party, Brand appeared to criticize Perry for swearing on camera and displayed a badge bearing the word “Obey.”
“He didn’t like her getting more attention than him,” one social media user wrote on X.
Months before his conviction, Perry made a pointed remark about an ex during a concert in July at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, England.
While playing an interactive game that asked audience members to act out their reaction to seeing an ex, Perry said, “I hope my ex isn’t here. He should be in jail,” according to The Mirror.
Perry did not specifically name Brand.
Brand began dating Isabella Brewster, a former talent agent, following his split from Perry. The pair reportedly met at a yoga class.
He confirmed their romance during a July 18, 2012, appearance on Howard Stern’s radio show, just days after his divorce became final.
“Some things in the newspaper aren’t true … that’s true, actually,” Brand said when asked about Brewster, according to E! News.
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Their relationship appeared to move quickly. According to Cosmopolitan, the pair were reportedly considering renting a home together in Los Angeles.
By late August, however, the romance had ended.
“Isabella and [Russell] broke it off,” a source told Us Weekly at the time. “He has been in London since the Olympics and is traveling for standup.”
Following his split from Brewster, Brand was briefly linked to Spice Girls singer Geri Halliwell. The pair reportedly grew close during preparations for the 2012 London Olympics’ closing ceremony, at which both performed.
They were photographed holding hands during a visit to Hampton Court Palace with Halliwell’s daughter, Bluebell, and were also reportedly spotted enjoying a picnic on Hampstead Heath.
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Despite the attention surrounding their budding romance, the relationship reportedly ended within weeks.
“He isn’t ready to settle down so soon after coming out of marriage,” a source told The Mirror.
Brand began dating producer and journalist Jemima Goldsmith in 2013. Their relationship lasted approximately a year, during which the comedian publicly expressed his love for her and said their connection felt different from his previous romances.
“I really love her. I’m very, very happy in a relationship that feels very different from anything I’ve experienced before,” Brand reportedly said during a 2014 appearance on “The Jonathan Ross Show.”
Their breakup was reported in September 2014.
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In November 2026, Goldsmith spoke publicly about her relationship with Brand, offering a different account of her experience with him.
In a statement posted on X following his sentencing, she accused him of “violence, coercive control and abuse.” She alleged that she had called police to have him removed from her home during a violent incident in 2014.
Goldsmith said she chose not to pursue charges or speak publicly at the time because she feared the impact of media attention on her teenage children.
“I have neither seen nor spoken to Brand since that period in 2014,” she wrote.
Brand’s relationship with his current wife, Laura Gallacher Brand, began years before his marriage to Perry.
Gallacher, an author and illustrator whose sister is British broadcaster Kirsty Gallacher, first became involved with Brand in 2006. She was 19 and he was 31. Their initial relationship ended the following year amid his reported difficulty with monogamy.
“When I met him, I was aware that he liked women, and I was aware toward the latter half of that year that he was engaging with other women,” Laura told the court during Brand’s trial, according to Sky News. “I was not 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.”
After Brand’s marriage to Perry ended, he and Laura reconnected in 2015.
The couple welcomed daughter Mabel in November 2016 before marrying on Aug. 26, 2017, in a ceremony near Henley-on-Thames, England. Their family later grew with the birth of their daughter Peggy in July 2018 and a son in 2023.
Laura publicly defended her husband during his 2026 rape and sexual assault trial.
Laura described Brand as “caring and kind, a wonderful father to our children and an amazing, attentive husband,” adding that he has an “eye for detail I have never known before.”
“I feel very seen by him,” she said. “We have a very honest, frank and clear relationship and marriage … Our relationship has always been [about] honesty. I love him very much.”
