Russell Brand was convicted of rape and three sexual assaults at Southwark Crown Court on November 5, 2026, following a trial that brought his marriage to Laura Brand into renewed public view. Laura attended proceedings and gave evidence for the defence. Her account of their relationship was personal testimony, while the jury’s verdict concerned offences against four other women.
Russell Brand’s wife is Laura Brand, the writer and illustrator previously known as Laura Gallacher. They married in August 2017 and have three children. She is his current wife; singer Katy Perry, whom he married in 2010, is his former wife.
Laura has a public career of her own, particularly through books about creativity, nature and activities for families. Her surname also connects her to another well-known family: her father is former professional golfer Bernard Gallacher, and her sister is broadcaster Kirsty Gallacher.
The couple first became involved years before their wedding, separated, and later reunited. That longer history helps explain why descriptions of Laura as a new partner or an unidentified companion are inaccurate. Their relationship began in 2006, and their marriage had lasted more than nine years by the time of the November verdict.
Who is Laura Brand beyond her marriage to Russell Brand?
Laura built her publishing work around hands-on creativity. Her book The Joy Journal for Magical Everyday Play offers activities intended for children and the adults looking after them. It grew from her interest in making things and encouraging everyday play, rather than from her husband’s work as a comedian and broadcaster.
Her publisher describes an approach that combines imaginative activities with mindfulness and a connection to nature. The projects are presented as ways for adults and children to spend time together. Her online platform, also called The Joy Journal, provided another home for those ideas.
She subsequently wrote The Joy Journal for Grown-ups, extending the focus to adults who wanted a creative outlet. The book includes 50 craft ideas, with projects ranging from pressed-flower candles to origami. Its emphasis is participation, with activities offered to beginners as well as more confident makers.
Laura’s bibliography also includes Slow Down and Be Here Now, described by publisher Abrams as her first book for children. Her work therefore spans adult craft publishing and illustrated material for younger readers. Calling her only a celebrity spouse leaves out that established part of her professional life.
Her public appearances have changed over time. She withdrew from much of her earlier social-media activity after the allegations against her husband became public in 2023. More recently, she has appeared alongside him on Sunday Service with the Brands, a programme centred on their discussions of Christianity and faith.
How did Russell Brand and Laura Gallacher meet and marry?
During her October 2026 court testimony, Laura said she first met Brand at the Edinburgh festival in 2006. She was an art student, and he was performing comedy. They began a relationship, but it ended the following year. Laura told the court that his involvement with other women had been a reason for their separation.
They remained in contact during parts of the years that followed. Brand married Katy Perry in October 2010; that marriage ended in divorce in 2012. Laura and Brand resumed their romantic relationship in 2015, rather than continuing an uninterrupted partnership from their first meeting.
Their wedding took place on August 26, 2017, near Henley-on-Thames. By then, they had already welcomed their eldest daughter. The sequence matters: their first period of dating, Brand’s marriage to Perry, their reunion and their wedding belong to different stages of their lives.
Laura’s father Bernard is a former European Ryder Cup captain. Her sister Kirsty’s broadcasting career has also made the Gallacher name familiar to British audiences. Bernard attended part of the 2026 trial in support of his daughter. He is Brand’s father-in-law, rather than Brand’s own father, Ron.
What is verified about their children and current relationship?
Laura and Russell have daughters Mabel, born in 2016, and Peggy, born in 2018, and a son, Herb, born in 2023. Their children are from this marriage and relationship. Brand and Perry did not have children together.
Parenthood became a subject in both adults’ public work, although in different forms. Laura’s books drew on creative play and family activities, while Brand discussed becoming a father in interviews and his writing. Their children have generally remained outside the level of public exposure associated with their parents.
At the trial, Laura described Brand as a caring husband and father and spoke about honesty within their marriage. Those statements describe her own experience and position. They do not overturn the convictions or provide an independent account of what happened to the women whose cases the jury considered.
As of November 6, 2026, the verified public record continues to identify Laura as Brand’s wife. No confirmed divorce or separation announcement changes that status. Reports about their marriage should keep her personal testimony, their family biography and the outcome of his criminal trial distinct.
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