'The day I had to take the witness stand in court, I cried. [Stephen] Bear’s barrister was asking me, “You went to his house, you got with him, you knew he had a video of it, so why didn’t you go to the police straight away?” And I just kept thinking back to all of the times I trusted him, asking myself, “How could I have been so stupid?” That’s what his barrister made me feel like, as though I should have known that this was going to happen.’
Georgia Harrison made her name on reality TV, appearing on The Only Way Is Essex and Love Island, but right now, the 28-year-old is the face of a serious campaign to tackle revenge porn.
Last month, she finally saw her ex-partner and fellow TV personality Stephen Bear successfully convicted. He had secretly filmed her during sex using his home CCTV, later sharing the video online and selling it on his OnlyFans account (to the tune of £40,000).
After a near three-year legal battle, he was jailed in March for 21 months at Chelmsford Crown Court, convicted of voyeurism and two counts of disclosing private sexual photographs and films with intent to cause distress. He was also put on the sex offenders register for 10 years and handed a five-year restraining order that prevents him from contacting Georgia.
The behind-the-scenes drama of the trial was captured on camera by ITV for her documentary, Revenge Porn: Georgia Vs Bear, and shows the nerve-racking years that Georgia spent fighting to get justice. And all the while she was subject to intense victim-blaming and character assassination by Bear.
‘When I first went to the police, I was silenced within a week of giving my statement,’ Georgia recalls. ‘Bear was still speaking about it a lot online, calling me a liar and attention-seeker. There were so many times I was dying to reply, opportunities were falling away from me because I couldn’t speak. Recording how I felt for the documentary was really therapeutic then, knowing that one day someone would be able to hear my side.’
Georgia still receives abusive messages, only made more intense by the fact she’s a reality TV star. ‘A lot of people say, “If you’re happy to kiss people on TV or be in underwear on your Instagram, you don’t have a right to be crying about this,”’ she says. ‘But the difference is I consented to do those things. I consent to certain photos because I’m comfortable with how much of my body is revealed. That doesn’t give anyone the right to secretly film me having sex with them and sell it all over the internet, or even send it to one other person, for that matter.’
The ordeal has impacted her intimate relationships too, as she not only fears sexual partners filming her again, but also worries that her high-profile case will put off potential partners. ‘The trolling really affects your self-worth,’ she says. ‘I often wonder, “If this man knows what’s happened to me, are they going to take me seriously long-term or are they just dating me because they think I’m easy?”’
It all amounts to intense shame and guilt, something Georgia is now campaigning to ensure no other woman feels by strengthening revenge porn laws. Currently, revenge porn victims have to prove ‘intent to cause distress’ by the perpetrator.
‘We shouldn’t have to prove that there was intent to cause distress,’ Georgia says. ‘Revenge is no longer the only motivating factor in this crime – with the rise of subscription platforms where people are running their own porn channels, people are committing revenge porn simply to make money. That’s one of many reasons people are doing this that doesn’t include the intent to cause distress, but that condition is what makes so many victims unable to convict perpetrators.’
Georgia’s been put in touch with female MPs by Good Morning Britain presenter Ed Balls, whom she intends to meet with this week to learn how to go about changing the law. ‘I’ve received thousands of statements from victims on Instagram; I want to print them out and present them to MPs so they can see how many victims there are in comparison to conviction rates,’ Georgia says. She also hopes to go into schools to help educate younger generations about the impact of revenge porn.
In the meantime, she’s left with an inbox full of women desperate for help but inspired by her victory. ‘I spend hours replying to people, advising the best I can,’ she says. ‘It’s emotionally draining but I can’t ignore anyone because I have been in their shoes, unsure what to do or whether my feelings were valid. My advice to them is to report it immediately – your pain is valid, and I’m proof you can achieve justice.’
‘Revenge Porn: Georgia Vs Bear’ is available now on ITVX
Main Image: Kate Peters
Read more of the magazine when you become a Grazia Digital Member for just 99p