Reality star Georgia Harrison has told MPs how the leaking of a video of herself having sex with Stephen Bear – filmed without her consent – spread like a “house fire”.
Former Celebrity Big Brother winner Bear left prison in January, having served 10-and-a-half months of his 21-month sentence for sharing a film of him having sex with Harrison on his OnlyFans site.
Harrison told MPs on the Women And Equalities Committee the video – recorded without her knowledge – “went viral to a point I can’t explain” as it spread round multiple sites and was circulated on WhatsApp.
She added: “It absolutely horrified me that an individual had done this to me but what most horrified me was that these platforms were hosting these videos that were unconsented.
“For many that I tried to reach out to I got an automated response saying we will get back to you within four to six days.
“When something like this is happening it really is like a house fire and the quicker you can put it out, the quicker you can stop it.
“Unfortunately, in four to six days your house has burnt down, everyone knows about this video – your family, your workplace, your peers, it’s too late.”
Stephen Bear outside court in March. Pic: PA
Discussing her ordeal, Harrison added: “I feel like one of the biggest challenges in general is these big social media companies who are hosting pornographic images and videos, they don’t have any way of us getting through to them to report it when there is something unconsented there.
“It shouldn’t be robots that you get through to when it’s this important a situation, it shouldn’t be that hard to get through to someone.
“I’m not saying delete it, I’m not saying take this person’s account down, I’m just saying can we pause it and then review it in a few weeks and I think that is the biggest issue we are dealing with at the moment.”
Harrison added: “But I think if something gets to the level where you say this is me in a sexually explicit act and I have not given permission, it should be paused that day, not in four to six days.”
On discovering the video was online, she said: “For the first few days, I was really just going through waves of complete sorrow and shock.
“It got to the point where I was so emotionally affected by what happened to me that I ended up being physically ill as well to the point where I was in hospital for five days over Christmas a little bit after the incident because the stress took such an effect on my body.
“I ended up having a cyst burst and I got an infection and literally it was just like my body deteriorated with my emotions.”