Russell Brand and Laura Gallacher have asked supporters to pray for them as they prepare for what they described as difficult times ahead of his trial over alleged sexual attacks on six women.
The comedian and born-again Christian, 51, and his notoriously private wife, 39, told viewers of their weekly Sunday Service programme yesterday that the show would continue throughout the legal proceedings, which could last as long as 10 weeks.
Brand faces allegations that he raped and sexually assaulted women over a period spanning a decade.
He arrived at Southwark Crown Court holding Laura’s hand on Monday as jury selection began, and left the court with her in the same way. Neither responded to questions from reporters. The trial is expected to open on Wednesday.
Laura has supported her husband quietly since their marriage in 2017. However, she has moved beyond her naturally reclusive personality since the couple launched their Christian YouTube programme five months ago.
During yesterday’s broadcast, she confirmed that Sunday Service would continue while the trial was under way.
‘Pray for us if you feel so inclined,’ Brand told viewers. He has 6.62 million YouTube subscribers.
Speaking about the upcoming proceedings, he said: ‘Being back here [in the UK], obviously there are great challenges.
‘We will do our best to respect the important restrictions that exist around court cases to ensure truth and justice can be done.’
Russell and Laura Brand arrive at Southwark Crown Court in London, where he faces charges of rape, sexual assault and indecent assault
Russell Brand and his wife of nine years, Laura Gallacher, have asked supporters to pray for them ‘if they are inclined’ ahead of the trial
Brand is accused of raping and sexually assaulting six women between 1999 and 2009.
During yesterday’s podcast, the couple initially joked that they were in the UK on ‘vacation’ before suggesting that ‘the Lord has brought us here’.
Brand introduced Laura as his ‘beloved wife’, while she acknowledged that she had felt nervous about accompanying him to court.
He first joked: ‘We’re in the UK. Why is that? Just fancied a trip,’ before taking a more serious tone and adding: ‘The Lord has brought us here.’
Laura replied: ‘I think it’s a vacation, but yes, the Lord has brought us here.’
Brand added: ‘I’m happy to be in the place where Jesus found me,’ referring to the UK, where he embraced Christianity and was baptised in the River Thames.
Laura, who has stood by him throughout the case, said the couple intended to continue producing their podcast.
‘Our aim is to carry on doing Sunday Service. More than ever, when you’re faced with times of challenge, you have to find your connection with God. Perhaps Sunday Service will be a journey in anchoring ourselves in faith and trust during difficult times,’ she said.
Describing their visits to court in the week before the trial, which begins this week, Laura said: ‘I got nervous before going to court. I’m not used to getting out of the car and seeing lots of photographers.’
Brand then said: ‘Pray for us if you feel so inclined, and let us know in the chat if there is something we can pray for you about.’
The pair closed their eyes as Brand said: ‘I thank you for my beautiful wife, this mystery woman in yellow, our glorious children and your son, Jesus Christ.’
Russell Brand arrived at court with Laura in a black Mercedes on Monday morning, waiting for a few minutes to leave the vehicle before taking his wife by the hand.
He said nothing to members of the press as he walked into the courthouse, and did not respond to shouted questions.
Wearing a grey suit, a white unbuttoned shirt with a brown neckerchief underneath, brown boots and sunglasses, Brand remained seated and displayed little emotion as the jury selection process began.
Brand denies three charges of rape, three counts of sexual assaults, and one allegation of indecent assault, made by six women.
Previous hearings have heard Brand is accused of raping a woman in a hotel room at the Labour Party conference in Bournemouth, grabbing a TV worker’s breasts and forcing her into a sex act in a toilet, and kissing and groping a radio station worker.
Brand, who pleaded not guilty to the charges during pre-trial hearings, is on bail.
The Brands are back in Britain after moving to the US with their three children around three years ago.
The comedian and actor has not commented on the details of the impending trial but has previously insisted that, while he was ‘very, very promiscuous’ as a younger man, his sexual relationships ‘were always consensual’.
In 2015, a chance meeting on the towpath of a canal in east London changed Laura Gallacher’s life.
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The pair married two years later near Henley-on-Thames, with guests including Noel Gallagher and Jonathan Ross.
Brand has repeatedly spoken of how lucky he is to have Laura in his life and credited her with supporting him through difficult periods.
She is the youngest child of golfing legend Bernard Gallacher, while her older sister is sports broadcaster Kirsty Gallacher.
The sisters grew up in Wentworth, Surrey, on what is widely regarded as one of Britain’s most exclusive private estates.
The couple joked initially that they were in the UK for a vacation but said that ‘The Lord has brought us here’
Russell Brand and wife Laura Gallacher are seen on January 6, 2018 in Los Angeles, California
Laura, a ‘mummy blogger’ and author of the parenting book The Joy Journal For Magical Everyday Play, has been described by friends as ‘kind-natured’ and, despite coming from a high-profile family, happy to stay out of the limelight.
Aside from occasional appearances on Brand’s YouTube channel, she has largely maintained a low profile and rarely attends red-carpet events.
She was 18 and studying art when she first met Brand, who shared an agent with her sister.
The pair had a brief relationship before going their separate ways.
When they met again 11 years ago, Gallacher was recovering from the breakdown of a long-term relationship.
She later recalled how a friend persuaded her to leave her flat for a walk along a canal in east London, where she unexpectedly bumped into Brand.
‘I hadn’t seen Russell for years,’ she said. ‘He was so different. We both immediately knew it was going to be serious.
‘My ex had literally moved out of our flat that day, and I was heartbroken, with mascara running down my face.
‘A friend dragged me out on a walk to the canal in east London, where I’d never been in my life, and as we came on to the footpath, Russell was standing there, like he’d organised it.’
Gallacher later said they both agreed they wanted a quiet family life together.
Brand, Bear Grylls and an unknown person can be seen pictured stood in the River Thames after the comic’s baptism
Before moving to the US, the family lived in Oxfordshire.
Speaking about their relationship, she has said: ‘We really do have fun together.
‘Sometimes, it can look like I’m dealing with an adult toddler, but Russell’s really into doing the stuff I’m into.’
Friends have described her as ‘very warm’ but also fiercely protective of her family’s privacy.
Gallacher has also become a devout Christian but, until this year, largely stayed away from her husband’s online broadcasts.
She previously said of his content: ‘I don’t find it easy, and that’s why I don’t ever really want to be doing any of it.
‘I have so many questions about it, and the exposure it inevitably leads to does expose you to a sort of dark energy.’
They launched their Sunday Service show five months ago, with Brand thanking his wife for standing by him.
Smiling, she replied: ‘I must be crazy.’
In 2010, he married pop star Katy Perry, but the couple divorced two years later.
Brand also enjoyed a successful Hollywood career, appearing in films including Forgetting Sarah Marshall and the Despicable Me franchise.
In recent years, however, allegations about his treatment of women came under scrutiny following television and newspaper investigations. Police arrested him in 2023, by which time he had largely turned his attention to podcasting and spirituality.
Brand embraced Christianity in 2024 and was baptised in the River Thames alongside his friend Bear Grylls.
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