A fan of Eddie Redmayne has pleaded guilty to stalking the Oscar-winning actor for the last five years at Camberwell Green Magistrates' Court on Wednesday. Gaby Stieger, 49, began stalking the star after seeing him in a West End play in 2012, and would stand in front of his home in Southwark, south London, send him letters and repeatedly approach him.
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In a statement read to the court, Eddie spoke about how he and his family were "harassed" by Gaby. The statement read: "I always try to be open and friendly as support (from fans) is what gives me a career. I deeply regret having met Gaby Stieger - she harassed myself and my family intermittently over five years, leaving us distressed, unsafe and deeply unsettled… The safety of my family is everything to me and with her behaviour we can't feel safe."
Eddie released a statement about Gaby
He added that her face would "contort with rage" when she spoke to him about his wife, Hannah Bagshawe, and that she would watch their home "out of nowhere - observing me and my family without us knowing". The prosecutor added that Gaby would send Eddie love letters, saying: "She directly states she is in love with the complainant and asked him to reply." In one of her letters, she wrote: "I know things about you."
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Gaby has been banned from Southwark
Gaby began sitting in a park near Eddie's house, once followed him to an Underground station and asked for a hug, and followed him to a carol service back in 2013. Eddie contacted a solicitor in August 2017 after Gaby approached him while he was with his baby daughter, Iris, and tried to touch his arm outside his home. Gaby was released on conditional bail and was banned from going to Southwark or contacting the Theory of Everything actor.