Dannii Minogue’s 2006 warning about Russell Brand has resurfaced after the comedian received a prison sentence for sexual offenses.
The Australian singer, now 55, gave a blistering interview to The Mirror nearly two decades ago after appearing on Brand’s short-lived MTV program “1 Leicester Square.” She described him as “completely crazy” and “a vile predator,” language that echoes the judge’s own assessment at Brand’s recent sentencing.
“I certainly don’t think he has cured his sex addiction, that’s for sure,” Dannii told the newspaper at the time. “He wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
The former “X Factor UK” judge, sister of Grammy winner Kylie Minogue, detailed behavior she found relentless and inappropriate. Brand followed her down a corridor, she said, pestering her for her phone number and commenting on her “fabulous breasts.” She found his remarks so shocking that she declined to repeat them verbatim, telling the paper, “Just uttering the words would make me blush.”
Dannii assessed Brand’s conduct as calculatedly provocative, observing that he “always goes that step too far” though “never quite far enough to slap his face.” She dismissed any romantic possibility with pointed finality: “He’s just not my type.”
The pop star also took aim at Brand’s appearance, noting that despite finding eyeliner sexy on men generally, his heavy makeup application repelled her. “Normally I love guys with eyeliner on. It can be very sexy, but not on Russell,” she continued in the 2006 interview. “Absolutely no way, never,” She added that he wore “more makeup than I do,” while conceding he was “obviously very intelligent.”
Brand’s ex-wife Katy Perry, 42, hinted at darker knowledge in a 2013 Vogue interview, two years after their split. “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,” the “Firework” singer said. Perry added, “I let go and I was like, ‘This isn’t because of me; this is beyond me.’ So I have moved on from that.” Perry has not commented publicly on his legal troubles, and his defense team was blocked from mentioning her during the trial.
The podcaster, 51, was found guilty last week of rape and three counts of sexual assault following a four-week trial at Southwark Crown Court in London. Earlier today, he was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison. The judge called him a “sexual predator” who “committed sexual offenses against a number of women over a five-year period.”
As guards led him away, Brand mouthed “I love you” and “We’ll be ok” to his wife, Laura, with whom he shares three children.
Dannii’s interview first circulated again in 2023, when multiple women came forward accusing Brand of serial sexual assault. The Metropolitan Police are currently investigating two additional rape accusations against him.
Brand was briefly married to Perry from 2010 to 2011. His current wife Laura Gallacher has stood by him throughout the legal proceedings.
Brand is facing further investigation by the Metropolitan Police regarding the additional rape allegations.