Noel Fielding has broken his silence on Russell Brand’s conviction.
Describing their relationship as professional rather than personal, Noel said he was unaware of the comedian’s crimes.
The Great British Bake Off star had a high-profile association with the disgraced comedian and frequently worked alongside him.
The duo developed a friendship after they first met at the NME Awards in the early 2000s.
However, following Russell’s conviction for rape and sexual assault, Noel has sought to distance himself from their past association, telling The Sun that their friendship was exaggerated for public appearances.
In a statement, Noel said “I was horrified and deeply disturbed to learn of Russell Brand’s crimes, which I was completely unaware of until they became public knowledge. My thoughts are with the women whose courage brought him to justice.”
“I appeared on TV, radio and live charity shows with him, and whilst we played it up for the cameras and in the media, I considered it a professional relationship, rather than a personal one. I have had no contact with him for many years.”
He added “Looking back at some of the jokes I made alongside him I was appalled. They were horrible and inappropriate, and I very much regret them.”
Russell was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison this week after a jury found him guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault involving four women between 2004 and 2009.