Harvey issued a lengthy statement expressing her outrage over her portrayal in 'Baby Reindeer' and its impact on her life.
Fiona Harvey, the alleged real-life inspiration behind the character Martha in Richard Gadd's hit series, Baby Reindeer, has announced her intention to take legal action against Netflix. Harvey issued a lengthy statement expressing her outrage over the portrayal and its impact on her life.
In the statement released to ET, Harvey, through senior attorney Chris Daw, revealed her plans to sue "all of those who have lied about me and used my image to make large sums of money for themselves." Harvey says Daw is assembling a team of lawyers in both the U.K. and the U.S. to proceed against Netflix, Gadd, and the series' producer, Clerkenwell Films.
The statement follows the backlash Harvey experienced since the series premiered, accusing it of causing "untold damage to my health, my reputation, my job prospects."
Within days of Baby Reindeer debuting, Harvey was identified, and her past was scrutinized. The show, marketed as a "true story," depicts Martha as a convicted stalker and perpetrator of sexual abuse and assault -- allegations Harvey vehemently denies.
Harvey claims, "Nobody ever approached me for any comment on the accuracy of Baby Reindeer, or the very serious and damaging allegation that I am a convicted criminal, with a serious criminal record, who has spent time in prison."
She expressed her expectation that once in place, her legal team would issue a further statement outlining the next steps to address what she described as the false portrayal in the series and the broader media.
ET has reached out to Netflix for comment.
Harvey's distress has been palpable since her interview with Piers Morgan earlier this month, where she pleaded for the media to respect her privacy, citing an inability to cope with relentless harassment from journalists.
During the interview, Harvey said she decided to come forward because she claims "the internet sleuths tracked me down and hounded me and gave me death threats, so it wasn't really a choice. I was forced into this situation."
Harvey noted that she hasn't watched the show because she'd "be sick" if she did.
"I find it quite obscene. I find it horrifying, misogynistic," she said, alleging that "some of the death threats have been really terrible online. People [are] phoning me up. It's been absolutely horrendous. I wouldn't give credence to something like that, and it's not really my kind of drama."
Upon finding out about the Netflix series, Harvey said she felt "absolutely horrendous," noting, "I couldn't believe this had happened."
"It's a work of fiction. It's a work of hyperbole, as I've always said... There are two true facts: His name is Richard Gadd and he worked as a barman," Harvey said of the show, claiming that she recalls meeting Gadd a few times.
During their first alleged meeting, Harvey claimed of Gadd, "He interrupted a conversation. There was another barman there. He said, 'Oh, you're Scottish,' and basically commandeered the conversation. I was talking to somebody [else]. It's pretty rude to interrupt. He seemed to be obsessed with me from that moment onward."
As for the allegations that she sent loads of communication to Gadd -- emails, tweets, and handwritten letters -- Harvey initially said, "That's simply not true."
The sit-down interview with Morgan comes as Gadd and Netflix shared statements regarding the care and consideration that went into protecting the true identity of the show's subject and portraying her as a disturbed but not malicious individual.
During a For Your Consideration panel, Gadd said of the real-life Martha, per The Hollywood Reporter, "I never saw someone who was a villain. I saw someone who was lost by the system, really. I saw someone who needed help and wasn’t getting it."
Previously, Gadd stated in an April profile with GQ that he was unsure of how the real-life Martha would react to the show and, in a perfect world, she wouldn't even know the show was about her.
"We've gone to such great lengths to disguise her to the point that I don’t think she would recognize herself. What's been borrowed is an emotional truth, not a fact-by-fact profile of someone," he said.
Prior to Morgan's interview with Harvey, Gadd had made numerous pleas with fans and followers to not seek out real-life identities of his characters after the show -- which was originally an Olivier Award-winning play in London -- was released on Netflix.
"Hi Everyone, People I love, have worked with, and admire (including Sean Foley) are unfairly getting caught up in speculation," he wrote in an Instagram Story in April, per Today. "Please don't speculate on who any of the real life people could be. That's not the point of our show."
Watch the trailer for Baby Reindeer in the player below:
All seven episodes of Baby Reindeer are now streaming on Netflix.
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