Baby Reindeer’s real-life ‘Martha’ has responded to the Netflix hit’s ‘false’ facts, claiming that Richard Gadd is ‘obsessed’ with her and that she has been in a relationship with a lawyer for five years.
Last night’s explosive interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored sparked a row when viewers branded the TV chat “highly irresponsible” and suggested Ms Harvey was “exploited for its sensationalism and bad taste”.
A month after the show aired, Harvey confirmed that the hit series is based on her, but denied harassing Gadd, sexually assaulting him or attacking his girlfriend.
The show alleges that the comedian’s stalker carried out a relentless campaign of harassment that began after he waited on her in a London pub while he was working as a bartender.
In the Netflix hit, Donny Dunn (Richard Gadd) offers Martha a free cup of tea at the house during their first meeting, which Mrs. Harvey claimed last night never happened.
“Nobody gets anything for free at the Hawley Arms,” he said, referring to the pub where they supposedly met.
Ms Harvey then claimed Mr Gadd “took over the conversation” she was having with another person at the bar, adding: “He seemed to be obsessed with me from that point onwards.”
The alleged stalker said she was “forced” to tell her side of the story after receiving death threats from “Internet detectives” following the show’s launch.
Piers Morgan last night with Fiona Harvey, Martha’s inspiration, where he gave an explosive interview on her YouTube show Uncensored.
Baby Reindeer, Netflix’s extraordinary hit, has been viewed more than 60 million times in the last month
In the hit drama series premiering April 11 and inspired by the real-life experiences of comedian and writer Gadd, his character Donny is harassed by a woman named Martha Scott after he serves her a free cup of tea at the pub. where he works.
So far, the Mail has chosen not to identify her; Instead, he has hidden her name and pixelated her face to protect her privacy. Now that she has made her true identity public, we will name her Fiona Harvey.
Harvey repeatedly denied harassing Gadd in real life and described the show as “a work of fiction, a hyperbole.”
And when Morgan asked her if Gadd had offered her a free cup of tea after she walked into the pub where he worked, she replied: “No, that’s not right.”
‘He didn’t offer me a cup of tea… I was expecting a meal with a drink of lemonade and I was very, very hungry. I am diabetic and I am very hungry. So that’s true.’
Morgan then asked: ‘And you talked to him?’ And Mrs Harvey replied: ‘And he interrupted a conversation… he said: ‘Oh, you’re Scottish,’ and he basically took over the conversation.
‘You know, I was talking to someone. He is quite rich. […] So from then on he seemed to become obsessed with me.’
The 58-year-old woman stated that she was willing to go to court to defend herself against the accusations made in the series.
When asked by Morgan if he would “categorically take legal action,” he responded: “Absolutely, both against him (Gadd) and Netflix.”
The 58-year-old alleged stalker appears on Morgan’s show
Piers Morgan has released the first trailer ahead of his interview with Baby Reindeer’s ‘real-life Martha’, which airs on Thursday night at 8pm.
The chilling real-life drama was inspired by the ordeal suffered by Scottish creator and star Richard Gadd at the hands of ‘Martha’ (played by Jessica Gunning, right)
Baby Reindeer delves into Richard’s harrowing experience of real-life harassment and brutal sexual abuse as he plays a fictional version of himself named Donny Dunn (pictured).
Richard Gadd and Jessica Gunning attended a photo call for a screening in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
Ms Harvey said she had partly instructed lawyers but “we want to explore all available options, there are a number of people to sue”.
During the interview, Ms. Harvey referenced a scene from the show where the character Martha admits to bullying Gadd’s character and receives a nine-month prison sentence.
“That is completely false, very, very defamatory of me, very damaging to my career,” he said.
“I wanted to completely refute that on this show: I’m not a stalker, I haven’t been to jail, I have no injunctions… it’s complete nonsense.”
Shocked viewers said they were “disturbed” by Piers Morgan’s show Uncensored, which they branded a “painful watch”.
One viewer, named Sarah Lucy, wrote on X: “It disturbs me to see Piers Morgan’s interview with Fiona Harvey.”
“It is deeply worrying to see his obvious mental health problems exploited for sensationalism and bad taste.”
Another social media user, called Lucy, said: “Fiona Harvey’s fixed beliefs and delusions are clear signs of serious mental health problems for anyone working in this field.”
“It is clear that they are exploiting it for financial gain.”
A third Twitter/X user added: ‘It was very irresponsible to put Fiona Harvey on TV!’
Following the show’s release, viewers began speculating about the real people who inspired the events behind the series, which saw Gadd post a message on his Instagram Story.
He said: “Hello everyone, people I love, have worked with and admire… are unfairly caught up in speculation.”
‘Please don’t speculate about who the real-life people might be. That is not the goal of our program.
Representatives for Gadd and Netflix have been contacted for comment.