Most reality TV viewers view Georgia Harrison as the vivacious and outgoing kind who is best known for appearing on programs like Love Island and The Only Way is Essex.
But the 28-year-old hasn’t shown on our screens in the previous two years.
She began criminal procedures in December 2020 against her ex-partner, Stephen Bear, whom she also met through a reality show.
It happened after he recorded them having sex using CCTV cameras in his garden, gave the footage to a buddy, and then sold it online without getting her permission.
Last week, Bear was found guilty of two charges of exposing private sexual images or videos with the intent to distress and one count of voyeurism.
Harrison tells the BBC, “It’s just been such a whirlwind – I’ve had so much love and support ever since the judgment.”
You feel wholly unworthy
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She claims that since Bear posted the video of them on the paid website OnlyFans two years ago, she has been rejected from a number of TV projects and other opportunities.
“My agency had discussions with companies, but because of what happened, I was just a red flag when they looked at someone they wanted to sign for a specific task,” the woman claims.
Television was always my passion, but [producers] just couldn’t consider me. It’s been incredibly painful, and there have been a few of instances when I just had a major meltdown.
Due to voyeurism being a sexual offense, Harrison had the option of remaining anonymous in her case, but she chose to forego that in order to raise awareness of the negative impact that so-called “revenge porn” can have on victims.
People are looking at you and experiencing sexual enjoyment over you, and it’s completely out of your control, she adds. “Something like this makes you feel completely useless,” she says.
“I’ve always linked it to sadness because sometimes you think you’re ok and then all of a sudden you’re just in sheds of tears and you just can’t help it,” said the author.
Control over you
Harrison claims that since Bear’s conviction, she has received “a worrisome number of communications” from other retaliation porn victims.
She hopes that the government’s proposed Online Safety Bill, which would provide additional protection to anyone whose photos or videos are shared without their permission, gets passed into law.
The measure suggests repealing a portion of the 2015-introduced revenge porn statute, which calls for the prosecution to prove that the offender’s acts were motivated by malice.
There’s no need to state or demonstrate that you intended to create humiliation or discomfort, according to Harrison.
“You need to know the repercussions that it could have on someone’s life. It’s going to distress someone, disgrace them, and impact their life unspeakably,” she continues. “Whether you send [a private image] to 10 people or one person, you need to know the effects that could have on their lives.”
Bear will receive a sentence at the end of January and might go to jail.
There is hope that this conviction, which supporters are calling one of the most high-profile revenge porn cases ever in the UK, would prevent others from committing the crime in the future.
Harrison says, “I’d like to perhaps talk about my experience in schools, just so young kids can understand the impact these kinds of things can bring to people’s life.”
“I want to make the point that if someone wants to gain control over you and asks you to send them a picture, then they don’t really respect you,” the speaker said.
I tell my younger sisters that if someone truly cares about you, they won’t need to send you stuff to win their approval, she continues.
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