Russell Brand’s wife “really fell in love” with him when she was just 19 years old.
Russell and Laura Brand
The ‘Four Kids and It’ actor first met Laura Brand through her sister, Kirsty Gallacher, when she was an art student and he was a 31-year-old TV presenter and they had a brief but intense relationship.
Laura, now 33, recalled: “I really fell in love. I’d never experienced love like that before – which made for a good story at the wedding.”
The pair split but rekindled their relationship in 2015 following a chance meeting in East London and they both realised they were ready to settle down and lead a quieter life.
Lara said: “I realised I couldn’t go on working in hospitality. I’d hit a wall of tiredness. I’d discovered I really didn’t want to live in a city any more.
“I wanted to go back and find my creative side and when I met Russell [again], he also had this feeling of, ‘I don’t think I want this.’
“I think he realised he couldn’t sustain that level of attention, that whirlwind where people are around you all the time… I remember him saying, ‘I think I want a quiet life and a family’, and it was exactly what I wanted.
“So then it was about seeing if we could build a foundation to make that happen.”
The pair started dating again but Laura was conscious of the ‘Get Him to the Greek’ star’s womanising reputation so insisted they took things slowly.
She reflected: “We really courted in the old-fashioned way.”
The author recalled one romantic date when, after briefly mentioning her love of Japan, Russell, now 44, invited her to his house for a Valentine’s Day dinner in 2015.
When she arrived, a woman in full geisha costume invited her in, and the house had been decorated with lanterns and cherry blossom, while an expert was inside to teach Laura how to wear a kimono, before they dined on sushi.
Laura said: “He’s incredibly romantic and he’s creative as well, so it’s never obvious but always very meaningful.”
The couple married in 2017 and have daughters Mabel, four, and two-year-old Peggy together.
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