Baby Reindeer’s ‘real Martha’ says she feels ‘used’ by Piers Morgan
‘It seemed to me that I was set up,’ she said
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Your support makes all the difference.The woman who allegedly inspired the stalker character in Baby Reindeer is not happy about her interview with Piers Morgan.
Earlier this week, Morgan interviewed Scottish lawyer Fiona Harvey, who said she wanted to ”set the record straight” about details related to the show, which Netflix and the show’s creator and star Richard Gadd have said are real.
The interview was aired on Morgan’s YouTube show Uncensored on Thursday (9 May), and viewers immediately questioned the ethics surrounding the broadcast.
Harvey has now said she she felt “used” by Morgan, who she said placed “a heavy emphasis” on the thousands of emails she allegedly sent Gadd.
In the interview, Morgan can be seen grilling Harvey about Netflix and Gadd’s claim that the “real Martha” sent a staggering 41,071 emails, 744 tweets, 46 Facebook messages, 106 pages of letters and 350 hours of voicemail.
Harvey said she sent “less than 10”, replying: “That’s simply not true. If somebody was sending somebody 41,000 emails or something, they’d be doing how many a day? Lots.”
Reflecting on the interview, Harvey told Daily Record: “I wouldn’t say I was happy. It was very rapid to try to trip me up. He did it fast paced to catch me off guard. It seemed to me that I was set up. I feel a bit used.”
Netflix’s Baby Reindeer follows a comedian as he is relentlessly harassed and stalked by Martha Scott (Jessica Gunning) for more than four years.
Immediately after its release on 11 April, the series became a word-of-mouth sensation and is on course to be one of the streaming service’s most-watched shows, alongside heavyweights Stranger Things and Bridgerton.
Morgan’s interview was met with consternation when the broadcaster announced the “world exclusive” on Wednesday (8 May).
He wrote on X/Twitter: “The real-life Martha from Baby Reindeer breaks cover and gives me her first TV interview about the smash hit Netflix show. [She] wants to have her say & ‘set the record straight.’ Is she a psycho stalker?”
The post’s replies section was flooded with messages from users calling the interview “irresponsible” and “unethical” due to the fact that Gadd himself told The Independent that the real person who inspired Martha to be “mentally unwell”.
“This is exploitation of a person who is in a vulnerable position. Clearly unethical,” one person wrote, with another adding: “This guy has absolutely no shame!” Others branded the decision to interview Harvey “disgraceful” and “absolutely vile”.
The Independent has contacted Morgan’s Uncensored for comment.
Morgan’s announcement arrived hours before Gadd, Gunning, co-star Nava Mau and series director Weronika Tofilska participated in a panel discussion about the show in Los Angeles.
The event was held to stir up interest among TV awards voters in Hollywood. Both Gadd and Gunning are strongly expected to receive Emmy and Golden Globe nominations in the forthcoming awards race.
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