Love Island's Georgia Harrison says 'spreading of revenge porn video was like a house fire'

Love Island star Georgia Harrison has likened the rapid spread of a revenge porn video featuring herself and Stephen Bear to a "house fire". Former Celebrity Big Brother champ, Stephen, was released from prison in January after serving 10-and-a-half months of his 21-month sentence for sharing a sex tape of himself and Georgia on his OnlyFans page.

Speaking to MPs on the Women and Equalities Committee, Georgia revealed that the video "went viral to a point I can't explain", as it was shared across various porn sites and circulated via WhatsApp. She expressed her horror not only at the individual who did this to her but also at the platforms hosting these non-consensual videos.

Georgia said: "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." She added: "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 was imprisoned in March last year after being convicted of voyeurism and two counts of disclosing private sexual photographs and films with intent to cause distress. He has been ordered to repay the £22,305 he earned from sharing the video.

Reflecting on her experience, Georgia told MPs: "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.

"Then, they could go back and review it and if whoever is in it hasn't consented, it will never go back up, but if after review both people have consented the footage is still there to get put back on the platform.

"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."

When asked about her thoughts on calling off the legal proceedings, she expressed: "I knew that I couldn't speak through that timeline until I got to the court process and I thought, shall I just give up so I can speak my truth to the public.

"But I knew what I was doing I had to march on with regardless."

Discussing her decision to waive anonymity, she expressed: "I really do feel my anonymity was removed as soon as the video went up anyway, because everyone I knew friendship wise, colleague-wise, family wise, which is your main concern when something like this happens, were already aware of the video.

"So I felt like my anonymity didn't really exist."

She also shared her feelings of injustice, not only from the perpetrator but also from the platforms profiting from her trauma: "I felt I had been at such an injustice not just by the man that had done it to me, but by the platforms that used me to make money on their behalf, they literally used this unconsented money to make money off me, and I felt it was something I didn't ever want to happen in the future."

Georgia opened up about the lasting impact of her revenge porn experience, saying it has instilled "a lot of fear" regarding her future, especially when it comes to starting a family.

She continued: "I know whenever I'm dating, meeting new people going into any sort of a new work opportunity I am known as the person who has this sex tape which I never ever filmed and never consented to be out there."

The ordeal has left her concerned for her future children: "So it changed a lot for me and it definitely gives me a lot of fear for one day, if I do have a family, which is something that was always my intention, are my children going to be able to stumble across this footage? ".

She concluded with a poignant note on the lack of protection from the Government: "Because I'm not protected in the right way by the Government for that not to be an issue right now."

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