Man denies stalking actress Anna Friel for three years
A man has denied stalking actress Anna Friel for almost three years.Phil Appleton, 71, is alleged to have sent "numerous messages", visited the actress' home address on several occasions and "left unwanted gifts".Reading Crown Court also heard the alleged behaviour, reported to have happened between 1 January 2022 and 11 December 2024, had an "adverse affect" on Ms Friel's day-to-day activities.Mr Appleton, of Springfield Road in Windsor, pleaded not guilty to one count of stalking causing serious alarm or distress.
The defendant told the judge, Neil Millard, he accepted sending messages to Ms Friel and visiting her home address on several occasions but denied his behaviour amounted to stalking.Ms Friel, 48, rose to fame with her role as Beth Jordache in Channel 4 soap opera Brookside, before gaining international fame in 2007 for starring as Charlotte 'Chuck' Charles in ABC comedy series, Pushing Daisies. She then won an International Emmy for Best Actress in 2017 for her role as title character in the ITV and Netflix mystery drama series, Marcella. A provisional trial date for Mr Appleton has been set at Reading Crown Court for 28 July.
You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
an hour ago
- Metro
Woman breaks down in tears at 'uncomfortable' sex party with boyfriend
A woman who asked her boyfriend for an open relationship has broken down in tears at a sex party on Channel 4's controversial new show. Tonight's latest instalment of Open House: The Great Sex Experiment sees newly married couple Sharmayne, 26, and Jamie, 29, from Essex push the boundaries in their relationship. The pair can be seen heading to their first social event to see whether they can find anyone suitable to join them in their open relationship. After speaking as a couple to some of the people in the Open House, the pair then split up and mingle individually. However, moments after Sharmayne sees Jamie flirting with other women, she grabs his arm and tells him that she wants to 'step out'. As the pair walk outside, drawing some suspicious looks from the other guests, Sharmayne tells Jamie: 'I just feel overwhelmed. It's just a bit much for me, the whole situation.' After Jamie replies: 'We're not obligated to do anything. This is our journey,' Sharmayne can be seen getting visibly upset before she says: 'I'm just uncomfortable.' Moments after, she begins to wipe away tears from her eyes as Jamie asks: 'Where do we go from here?' After Sharmayne says 'I don't know', she adds: 'I don't know if I'm going to be able to hold myself together now. 'I really don't want to do it. I just want to go home.' This comes after a man vomited after agreeing to let his partner sleep with another man on the show. Couple Tom and Lauren appeared on the new reality series on June 13 after agreeing to take things to another level in the bedroom after a candid discussion with non-monogamy expert Effy Blue. Afterwards, Lauren was seen reassuring Tom, adding to the camera that it was 'absolutely insane' to see him with the 'confidence' for them to have their individual fun before reuniting at the end of the night. The camera then panned to Tom rushing to the bathroom to vomit, telling Lauren it was 'going to be horrible' and that he felt 'absolutely petrified and sick' as she tried to comfort him. Following a strong reaction to the turn of events, Tom and Lauren took to social media to address viewers. On their shared Instagram story they answered a series of questions about threesomes in the bedroom. When asked if they would do a 'two male, one female' threesome, they replied: 'It's certainly something we would consider.' Another asked if they would 'play with' him and his wife and they explained: 'never say never' but they would 'want to build a connection first'. One fan asked what their 'first time' was like to which they said it was 'awkward and tense'. 'We were both nervous but learned a lot and loved it,' they added. More Trending To others they recommended swinging apps and confirmed they don't have any 'parties' in the schedule yet. 'What did you learn the most on the show,' one person asked, to which they said: 'Communication between the two of us, even the little things, and Tom learned to love the body he's in.' Open House is certainly not the first time Channel 4 has aired a provocative show, after their recent series Virgin Island, which left viewers gobsmacked and uncomfortable as 12 'adult virgins' were sent on a sex retreat. View More » Open House: The Great Sex Experiment is available to watch on Friday at 10pm on Channel 4. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you.
Scottish Sun
2 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Watch awkward moment man stops orgy with three women after getting stage fright on Open House The Great Sex Experiment
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) AN awkward moment on Open House saw a man stop a wild orgy with three women after getting stage fright. The Channel 4 show sees monogamous couples move into a house alongside 'sexperts' and explore having an open relationship. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 3 An awkward moment on Open House saw an orgy stopped Credit: Channel 4 3 Simon look flustered as he put a stop to things Credit: Channel 4 3 He drank some water to calm his nerves Credit: Channel 4 However, one participant, Simon, struggled as he put a stop to romping with three women. He entered the retreat alongside his fiancé Chris, to explore whether they're attracted to women. While Simon looked visibly flustered, one of the women gave him a drink of water. He said: "Might just be a bit of stage fright, part of it is also... there's a lot going on. "I'm just, like, processing everything at once. This is something very new for me." Viewers previously slammed a mum-of-six for "making a fool" of her husband. Amy attracted the ire of horrified fans for passionately kissing a woman in front of her hubby Claude in a hot tub. Amy had told the cameras how she previously enjoyed a polyamorous lifestyle and wanted to return to it despite hers and Claude's monogamous marriage. Claude admitted he had always stuck to one partner and was struggling with the idea of seeing his wife with someone else. But despite his obvious reservations, Amy wasted no time in snogging a woman called Georgie in front of him while sitting in a steamy hot tub. Awkward moment mum-of-six 'makes a fool out of husband' on Channel 4's The Open House in bid to SAVE their marriage A fan penned: "Amy, if you end up on your own with 6 kids I'll have no sympathy." Another commented: "Amy's mocking her husband." And a third said: "I think it's unfair that Amy entered into a monogamous marriage and now wants to change the rules AND for her husband to be happy with that, when he's clearly not." Someone else remarked: "Amy just wants a way out of the relationship, making a fool of her partner." Despite Claude's reluctance to get on board with the idea, Amy told the cameras that she believed he was only closed off to polygamy because it is "not what society dictates". But another viewer blasted: "No Amy he is not holding back cos society tells him it is not normal, he is holding back cos he doesn't want to do this!" Another couple taking part, Sarah and Jonny, opened up about how things have become awkward during the school run. Open House The Great Sex Experiment airs on Channel 4.
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Watch awkward moment man stops orgy with three women after getting stage fright on Open House The Great Sex Experiment
AN awkward moment on Open House saw a man stop a wild orgy with three women after getting stage fright. The Channel 4 show sees monogamous couples move into a house alongside 'sexperts' and explore having an open relationship. 3 3 3 However, one participant, Simon, struggled as he put a stop to romping with three women. He entered the retreat alongside his fiancé Chris, to explore whether they're attracted to women. While Simon looked visibly flustered, one of the women gave him a drink of water. He said: "Might just be a bit of stage fright, part of it is also... there's a lot going on. "I'm just, like, processing everything at once. This is something very new for me." Viewers previously slammed a mum-of-six for "making a fool" of her husband. Amy attracted the ire of horrified fans for passionately kissing a woman in front of her hubby Claude in a hot tub. Amy had told the cameras how she previously enjoyed a polyamorous lifestyle and wanted to return to it despite hers and Claude's monogamous marriage. Claude admitted he had always stuck to one partner and was struggling with the idea of seeing his wife with someone else. But despite his obvious reservations, Amy wasted no time in snogging a woman called Georgie in front of him while sitting in a steamy hot tub. Awkward moment mum-of-six 'makes a fool out of husband' on Channel 4's The Open House in bid to SAVE their marriage A fan penned: "Amy, if you end up on your own with 6 kids I'll have no sympathy." Another commented: "Amy's mocking her husband." And a third said: "I think it's unfair that Amy entered into a monogamous marriage and now wants to change the rules AND for her husband to be happy with that, when he's clearly not." Someone else remarked: "Amy just wants a way out of the relationship, making a fool of her partner." Despite Claude's reluctance to get on board with the idea, Amy told the cameras that she believed he was only closed off to polygamy because it is "not what society dictates". But another viewer blasted: "No Amy he is not holding back cos society tells him it is not normal, he is holding back cos he doesn't want to do this!" things have become awkward during the school run.
