On 3 March 2023, reality star Georgia Harrison won her revenge porn case against Stephen Bear. Bear was sentenced to 21 months in prison for recording a private sexual encounter with Georgia using CCTV in his garden in August 2020. He then distributed the footage on OnlyFans.
Speaking outside the court after the sentencing Georgia told the press, 'I want to let all other victims of this crime know that I stand in solidarity with them and I have absolutely no regrets on waiving my anonymity.' Although the long-awaited guilty verdict was a triumph - for Georgia, the impact of this violating crime is life-altering, 'I'm not fully healed as it will be a long time before I recover mentally and emotionally. This will stick with me for the rest of my life but I feel so much stronger now,' she tells Grazia.
On Monday, Georgia will be at the forefront of a new ITV2 documentary, Revenge Porn: Georgia vs Bear, which has been in the making for two years. After being silenced for two years, filming this documentary gave her 'peace' and allowed her to regain her voice. She says, 'I made a lot of home videos during that time because I think it really helped me deal with the situation as I was silenced for so long.' She adds, 'For nearly two years I had to listen to him spreading lies about me on his YouTube channel, social media and on his girlfriend's (Jessica Smith) page and I just couldn't say anything because I had to wait for my day in court.'
'When I found out the video was on OnlyFans I thought what a brazen, awful, vile, disgusting thing to do,' she reveals. Initially Georgia doubted Bear had done any wrongdoing due to their long history; from competing on MTV's The Challenge to travelling the world together. She explains, 'Because I'd known him for so long and trusted him - forget our relationship, we'd been friends for a very long time and we had done some really amazing things together. Georgia continues, 'I just believed in my head even then that maybe he sent it to someone, who sent it to someone and somehow it just got out. I actually believed that he didn't intend to do that. But when I found out that he had sold it out on his verified account - I just thought this man is evil.'
For those who don't understand just how life altering revenge porn is, Georgia delves into how it affected her mentally, physically and emotionally. She says, 'It just leaves you feeling so unworthy and used. It changed the way that I valued myself and it left me questioning "Why me? Why did someone treat me like that?" She continues, I think that's something that is really hard to shake off. It definitely affects your romantic relationships - it affects your self worth in every aspect.'
My body broke down - I felt so alone at the time
In the documentary, friend and fellow Love Island star Kaz Crossley retells a heartbreaking conversation she had with Georgia. She reveals, 'I remember checking up on her just to see if she was good and she said to me, "Kaz I just don't want to be here anymore. I don't think I can do it and there's nothing worth living for." Georgia tells Grazia, 'I think for a lot of victims when it first happens, it feels like your world has just come crashing down - I didn't know if I could go on.'
We also learn about the physical toll the traumatic ordeal has on the 28-year-old reality star. Georgia had a burst cyst, sepsis and her organs also started to shut down. Georgia's mum, Nicola Harrison, revealed, 'If she had left it another 24 hours she could have died.'
Bear's actions also affected her business, Georgia explains that brands and sponsors quietly parted ways with her in the wake of the viral video. She says,' I was dropped by people I had really good connections with at a time when I really needed them - that took a massive toll on me'. Georgia continues, 'I was just a young girl with so much hope for my future and I really did have a lot of belief in myself. But as everyone dropped me and I couldn't say anything or explain why I was innocent, it just made me want to give up on myself really.'
But has she ever received an apology from Bear for the years of distress he has put her though? 'No,' she admits. 'Even watching him outside of the court was telling. I don't think anyone's even heard him say my name - he seems to just completely ignore the fact that I exist, he doesn't acknowledge me.'
This man is evil - I had no other choice but to stand up against him
She explains that Bear did try to make contact initially, 'When the video first went viral, he sent me a message on Instagram. He didn't admit to anything, but he said something along the lines of "let's just meet up and talk - I don't want you you be upset." She says, 'I just ignored him because I knew he was going to attempt to manipulate and gaslight me again and even stop me from pressing charges - that just was not an option for me'
After a long battle to get to court, Georgia is happy with the sentence Bear received. 'It was the literally the highest he could have received. Also, he had no previous convictions. So, there was a massive concern for me that he would get off with a suspended sentence or community service - that for me, was never ever going to be enough.' Georgia adds, 'But I think as the laws do strengthen around revenge porn, eventually I hope two years will be the minimum.'
In 2022, 80% of reported victims of revenge porn were women and girls, while the majority (62%) of suspects were male according to a Channel 4 report. For those that still shift the blame on women Georgia says, 'You can't go into every sexual encounter on edge looking for a camera - you've just got to hope that you are with a trusted individual. Unfortunately, there are men out there that act like Stephen Bear - I never could have seen it coming and I don't think anyone else could.'
The reality star quickly realised that speaking out was helping others. She explains, 'I became a voice for other women and I knew it wasn't just about me anymore - it was about women in general.' She reveals that she made the documentary in order to help anyone else who might be struggling with this issue. ' I realised how many victims this could support because I had so many people messaging me and asking for advice. This is a mad thing to go through and most people don't know what the hell to do - I didn't. Hopefully by watching this it will help others get justice too.'
Georgia hopes that this documentary will create substantial changes in society. She states, 'I really hope it deters anyone from treating someone the way that he treated me. I hope especially that the younger generation look at this and realise how much of an effect it has on victims, but also just how high the consequences are for someone that breaks this law. Hopefully, we can stop this from happening to so many people in the future.'
Revenge Porn: Georgia vs Bear airs on Monday 20 March 10pm on ITV2 & ITVX