Netflix Baby Reindeer: What Happened To The Real-Life Martha? Where Is She Now?
23 April 2024, 12:38 | Updated: 26 April 2024, 15:24
Richard Gadd has confirmed there is "no concern" about his real-life stalker contacting him after the success of Baby Reindeer. Here's what happened.
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If you've watched Netflix's 'Baby Reindeer', you're probably not the only one now wondering what actually happened to Richard Gadd's stalker in real life. Where is the real-life Martha now?
'Baby Reindeer' is a true story – a dramatised version of the very real experience that creator Richard Gadd went through. Richard plays a fictionalised version of himself in the film (named Donny), and the character of Martha (played by Jessica Gunning) is a fictionalised version of his stalker.
Richard told Forbes that while the show is "100% emotionally true", the character of Martha – as well as other details and characters – are fictionalised for "legal and artistic reasons."
For those wanting to know what happened in Richard's life, he has now provided a small bit of information about how his stalking ordeal ended. He doesn’t go into detail, but it seems like 'Martha' is no longer a concern.
Where is the real-life Martha from 'Baby Reindeer' now?
What happened to the real-life Martha from 'Baby Reindeer'?
Richard's stalker, a.k.a. the real-life Martha is unknown. Her real identity and name will likely never be confirmed by Richard or anyone who knew about the situation at the time.
In the wake of the conversation surrounding the show, Richard has also now had to issue an urgent message to viewers on Instagram Stories, warning them not to "speculate on who any of the real-life people could be".
In an interview with GQ, Richard explained that the team worked hard to "disguise" the stalker within the character of Martha. "We’ve gone to such great lengths to disguise her to the point that I don’t think she would recognise herself. What’s been borrowed is an emotional truth, not a fact-by-fact profile of someone," he said.
Speaking to Variety, Richard was asked whether or not he felt afraid that the stalker might try and contact him because of the show. He explained that he was unable to answer the question, but went on to add: "Due to where things ended in real life, it’s not a concern for me."
In a different interview with The Times, he described the situation as something that has now been "resolved".
Much like in the show, Richard did end up pressing charges against his stalker. Based on his comments, however, it seems like the stalker did not spend any time in jail. He explained that he "didn’t want to throw someone who was that level of mentally unwell in prison."
He told GQ: "I do think the institution needs improvement, especially around stalking. I can think of numerous examples where people have complained to the police about a stalker but because maybe they’ve had a previous relationship the police haven’t taken it seriously. They can look for a concrete reason to arrest… but sometimes situations are more nuanced than that.
“The first thing the police should do is try to preserve the safety of the person who is making the report rather than going through a long, arduous process to work out whether they should believe them or not," he continued.
In the Netflix series, Donny reports Martha to the police but they claim they’re unable to do anything because none of her messages are particularly threatening. Eventually, he reports her again, this time presenting one of her concerning voicemails.
Martha is arrested and pleads guilty. She is sentenced to nine months in prison and Donny is granted a five-year restraining order against her.
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