Russell Brand's close bond with mother and 'strange' relationship with dad
Russell Brand shared a close bond with his mother, Barbara - but held an unconventional relationship with his father, Ronald, who has furiously defended the actor against accusations of rape and sexual assault.
The 48-year-old comedian has been brought back into the spotlight after a number of women made allegations against him over the weekend via a Channel 4 Dispatches documentary and an expose via The Times and Sunday Times. Russell has denied the accusations made by both Dispatches and The Times, saying in a statement released ahead of the bombshell reports: “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.”
Russell built a career out of discussing and writing about his personal life - which had been marred by years of alcohol, drug and sex addiction struggles. He also discussed his family life over the years.
His mother, Barbara, married photographer Ronald Brand, in 1969 but the couple separated when Russell, who is the only child they share together, was six months old and later divorced. Russell was raised by his mother - but when Barbara was diagnosed with uterine cancer and then breast cancer when Russell was eight, he was cared for by other members of his family.
Russell Brand has a close friendship with his mother, Barbara (Getty Images)
Russell's father, Ronald Brand, has furiously defended him from rape accusations (Perry Smylee / Matrixpictures.co.uk)Barbara has continued to battle health issues, and Russell revealed in 2017 that she was fighting cancer for the sixth time. He said on The Today Show in the USA at the time: “She's got cancer again right now; she's having chemotherapy at the moment. She's had cancer six times, but the woman is very resilient. She likes it here on this planet, clearly."
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Russell’s relationship with his father has been unconventional, to say the least, with the comedian himself saying their relationship was "strange" and that he saw his dad "sporadically" while growing up. Russell previously explained that he tried to win his father’s approval by sleeping with a prostitute when he was just a teenager - and that his dad was the one who paid for the experience while spending time with two other sex workers himself.
Writing in his 2007 autobiography, My Booky Wook, Russell claimed: "The episode that defined my relationship with women occurred in Hong Kong with my dad. I was 17. On day one we went to some sleazy dive. Before long I was sat on a bar stool with a Filipino called Mary-Lou. Then we were leaving in a cab with three Asian prostitutes my dad was drunkenly herding.
"Back in the hotel, my dad set about unwrapping his two prostitutes. I sat on the edge of the other twin bed. She must have known I was a virgin as soon as the bungling encounter commenced."
He continued: "I stroked Mary-Lou's hair and kissed her cheek and traced my finger down her perfect nose, scored by the cacophony from the adjacent bedlam, 'Yeah, come on!' and 'Phwooar, you're juicy!’… In Bangkok. when bar girls in Patpong left their posts to follow me down the street, cooing and touching my hair, I felt that I had my dad's unequivocal approval.”
In light of the claims made by a number of women to Dispatches and The Times, Russell’s father has stepped forward to furiously defend his son. According to the MailOnline, he said on Monday: “Is this seriously the most important thing happening in this world? Immigrants? Cost of living? 10s of thousands killed in Ukraine? Who is prioritising at BBC News. Who is really driving this vendetta? With many struggling to pay bills. The unproven accusations of 15 years ago take lead on BBC News?”
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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