A Jimmy Savile abuse survivor has said she was left "screaming" after seeing Steve Coogan dressed up as the disgraced paedophile for a recent TV show.
Coogan, 57, plays the sexual abuser and former DJ in BBC's The Reckoning, an adaptation of Savile's life. One of the Jim'll Fix It presenters' victims has since spoken of her fear when seeing Coogan in costume for the first time.
Sam Brown, 56, who was attacked by Savile at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, opened up about her experience with the Alan Partridge and Philomena actor on the set of The Reckoning. She recalled "screaming" at the sight of Coogan dressed as the abuser.
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Taking to the Good Morning Britain sofa, Ms Brown recalled the encounter which she says was during a "graveyard scene". It left her needing a minute, with Coogan reassuring Sam following the interaction.
She recalled: "It was a graveyard scene. He began to walk up to us, and inside of my head [I] was screaming, 'Just give me a minute'. I [thought] I was doing all of this in my head, not realising it was coming out of my mouth.
"And then Steve [Coogan] said, ‘Sam I’m in dress, I’m in character, I'm not him, remember, I'm acting'. It took me a few minutes to be okay, but it was a weird thing because it came from inside of me, it wasn't a conscious thought and I had to put my hands up and I was saying, 'Stop'. I didn’t even know I was doing it, I felt so embarrassed about that."
Sam managed to overcome her fears and memories of horrific abuse to continue with the scene as she felt "strong enough", LADBible reported. She received praise at the time from the GMB hosts.
They asked: "How can you say you’re not brave? It’s so brave to put yourself through this for others." Sam replied saying what she did was "not bravery" but was part of "my job".
She added: "For all the people that are never going to say anything, they sit at home and turn over in their head how do they feel? Why are they reacting like this? Why are they parenting like that? Why did everyone hate on them as teenagers because people thought they were unruly?
"It's them people that won't tell anyone, but I want them to know, that's all really normal." Sam has since spoken up against the controversy of the show, which was heavily criticised for its dramatization of Savile. Coogan had previously noted he did not want to do victims a "disservice" with the portrayal, he said to the BBC.
Sam has since defended the show, adding: "I was dreading it and the funny thing was, when we watched it, it was really hard to believe it was me. But I felt so sorry for that little girl. My heart broke for that little girl. But I had a week and finally I accepted the fact that she was me and I was her."
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