The woman who allegedly inspired the Netflix series "Baby Reindeer" said she is pursuing legal action over what she described as a false and defamatory portrayal of her as a stalker.
Fiona Harvey, believed to be the woman who inspired Richard Gadd's hit streaming series, made the statement Monday after she believes she was called a "convicted stalker" by Netflix's Benjamin King, a senior director of public policy.
The 58-year-old said she is "putting together a legal team" and will not make any additional statements to the media until further notice.
She added that she is "not physically able to cope with relentless harassment" from the public and asks for people to respect her privacy.
"I am not a convicted stalker,'" Harvey said in her statement. "I have never been charged with any crime, let alone been convicted, still less pleaded guilty and of course I have never been to prison for anything. This is how Gadd and Netflix chose to portray me in a TV show, for their own financial gain."
Gadd created and stars in "Baby Reindeer," a dark comedy which follows his character, aspiring London comedian Donny, as he navigates being stalked by an older woman named Martha (played by Jessica Gunning). Gadd has said that the character Martha is not meant to resemble a real-life person, but that the story is based on a fictionalized retelling of his own true personal experiences.
Viewers of the series scoured the internet trying to find the “real” Martha, which led many to Harvey.
“The media firestorm around Baby Reindeer, and my rapid identification as the ‘real Martha,’ have caused untold damage to my health, my reputation, my job prospects and my ability to make sensible decisions about my welfare and best interest,” Harvey said in her statement.
Neither Gadd nor Netflix immediately responded to a request for comment from NBC News.
King made the comments Harvey is now seizing upon to the UK Parliament’s Culture Media and Sport Committee.
According to the BBC, King told the committee on May 8 that the show was “obviously a true story of the horrific abuse that the writer and protagonist Richard Gadd suffered at the hands of a convicted stalker.”
John Nicolson, a member of Parliament, posted a copy of a letter he wrote to King last week asking the executive to provide Parliament proof of the claim after journalists were unable to verify the allegation.
Although Harvey focused on those comments while announcing possible legal action, witnesses to select committees have absolute privilege and cannot be sued over remarks made before Parliament.
Harvey has disputed several of the incidents and details depicted on the show. She told Piers Morgan earlier this month that the harassment “forced” her to come forward and identify herself, saying she did meet Gadd though she denied many of the events of the show.
In her interview, Harvey said to Morgan that she met Gadd when she visited a London pub for a meal. Unlike in the show, she said, Gadd never offered her a cup of tea.
Additionally, she said she never caught Gadd looking through her window, heckled at his comedy show or attacked his girlfriend. Harvey also said that she did not know where he lived and that she never visited his house, nor did she contact his parents.
Morgan pushed Harvey about the emails, voice messages, tweets, Facebook messages and letters Martha sent Donny on the show. She admitted to sending Gadd a handful of emails, tweeting him about 18 times and writing him one letter. But Harvey said she never texted him or messaged him on Facebook.
