Russell Brand’s wife remains “resolutely loyal” to her husband following his conviction for one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault, according to claims made by friends.

Brand, 51, faces a lengthy prison sentence after being found guilty at Southwark Crown Court on Thursday.

The newspaper reports that she is expected to return to the couple’s home in Henley-on-Thames rather than remain at their property in Florida, where the family relocated in 2024.

The move would allow Gallacher to remain close to Brand while he serves any custodial sentence.

A friend told the newspaper: “Her husband is a rapist and that will follow her everywhere she goes. But Laura is resolutely loyal to Russell and has been for a long time.

“She believed what he told her and has stood by him this entire time. As his wife, her loyalty is with Russell. And he undoubtedly will need her support more than ever now.

“The people closest to her believe she is going to stay in the UK and wait for him. But right now, this is all incredibly fresh. It’s a living nightmare at this moment.”

Gallacher, 39, is said to be devastated by the conviction. On Thursday, she was seen hunched over in the public gallery as Mr Justice Bennathan told Brand he faced a lengthy jail term.

Brand spent his first night in Wandsworth Prison on Friday, after his barrister, Ian Winter KC, failed in his application for bail over the weekend.

Winter had asked the court to release Brand as an “act of humanity” so he could say goodbye to his children.

Brand denied all seven criminal charges against him: three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of attempted indecent assault.

After nearly nine hours of deliberations, the jury found Brand guilty of four sex attacks.

He was cleared of two counts of rape and one charge of attempted indecent assault.

Brand told his wife of nine years “I love you” after entering the dock to hear the verdicts. He displayed no emotion as the jury delivered its decisions.

Gallacher married Brand in 2017, and the couple have three children together.

During Brand’s trial, Laura gave evidence that the comedian and broadcaster was a "kind" and "caring" husband who respected her wishes throughout their relationship.

The court heard the couple first met in 2007 before separating and later rekindling their relationship in 2015. They married two years later and have three children together.

Asked about the early stages of their relationship, Mrs Brand told jurors she was relatively inexperienced and had only had one previous partner before meeting the entertainer.

"I felt entirely cared for and looked after by Russell," she said, adding that if she did not want to do something, Brand "respected my view".

Describing her husband's character, she told the jury: "Russell, my husband, is caring, he is kind, he is a wonderful father to our children.

"He is an amazingly attentive husband. The way he treats me is to really know me. I feel very seen by him in every way. I love him very much."

However, Mrs Brand also told jurors the pair split in 2007 because she was uncomfortable with his relationships with other women.

"I was invested, we both had told each other we loved each other but it was clear it was difficult for him to be monogamous," she said.

"I wasn't interested in having a relationship with him if he was sleeping with other people."

She said they stayed friends even as Brand had a brief marriage to singer Katy Perry, and they got back together as a couple in 2015 and married in 2017.

Asked if she was “aware of his promiscuity” during their time apart, she said: “I was very aware of it. I could read about it regularly in the papers, so I was aware of it and he also told me.”