Russell Brand’s first girlfriend, Amanda Alguero Alejos, has spoken out in the new Netflix documentary, Open Secret.
Russell Brand’s first girlfriend has spoken out(Image: Netflix)
Russell Brand’s first girlfriend has spoken openly about their relationship. Amanda Alguero Alejos appears in the new Netflix documentary, Open Secret, reflecting on the crimes and antics of the convicted rapist.
Earlier this week, Brand was sentenced to ten and a half years after being found guilty of raping a fan in 2009 and sexually assaulting three other women over the course of five years.
Amanda previously told the court that Brand was “undoubtedly promiscuous” – but never in front of her. She said that women would “circle” around the disgraced comedian when they were out as a couple. The former couple met in 1999, when Brand was her teacher at the Callan School of English, in London.
Amanda had been several months older than Brand and told him that he was attractive before they embarked on a romantic relationship.
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Speaking in the documentary, she said: “I remember every Friday we used to go to a pub. He was different from other teachers. Very, very clever. And I thought, ‘Mm, very handsome boy.’ I asked him, ‘Come to the toilet for kisses with me.’
“His eyes were open, like, ‘What happened here? Who is this lady?’ I fancy him so much. Slowly, slowly, we fell in love. It was my first love.”
She went on to add that after they embarked on a relationship, they would talk about settling down together. They also shared “kisses in different places” including Bali and Paris.
She went on to add: “When I met him, his lifestyle was normal. He used to take drugs like recreation. Smoking joints. But he always is looking for something more. He was taking a lot of drugs. Cocaine and heroin.”
Very quickly, their relationship started to break down, with women writing their phone numbers on Brand’s hands while she was with him. “We couldn’t have intimacy together anymore,” she said, before adding that Brand later acknowledged he had a sex addiction.
She soon realised that the man she once fell madly in love with was, in fact, a completely different person, adding that there was “something dark” inside him. Amanda then turned her back on their six-year relationship.
During his trial, she said: “He was very loving, thoughtful and patient with me. We laughed a lot together; it was a beautiful relationship. I always felt truly cherished and loved.” She insisted that the pair never had sex without her consent and that Brand would write her poetry.
Brand had faced seven charges in total: three of rape, three of sexual assault and one of attempted indecent assault. He was acquitted of raping a woman at a hotel in Bournemouth in 1999, during the Labour Party conference at which Brand had been performing at a cabaret show.
In court, the judge blasted Brand’s “staggering arrogance” and labelled him a “sexual predator” who exploited his status to target fans. Mr Justice Bentham accused the star of showing a “casual, arrogant disregard for any woman’s right to say no”.
If you’ve been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999
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