Jo Whiley reveals message Russell Brand wrote to her calling her a MILF makes her 'shudder' in the wake of his rape and sexual assault conviction as she says she 'cried' for his victims

Published: 03:40 EST, 13 November 2026 | Updated: 03:56 EST, 13 November 2026 Jo Whiley has revealed a message Russell Brand wrote to her calling her a MILF makes her 'shudder' in the wake of his rape and sexual assault convictions. The radio presenter, 61, spoke about the disgraced comedian alongside Zoe Ball, 55, after he was found guilty of attacking four women during the height of his fame.Brand, 51, was sentenced to ten years and six months in prison on Monday after a jury convicted him of offences committed between 2004 and 2009.Speaking on their Dig It podcast on Thursday, Jo revealed she 'cried' for his victims when his verdict was announced as she and Zoe spoke about the 'harrowing' case.Jo also explained that she has a 'show book' that she gets celebrities to sign when they come on her show in which Brand previously wrote that she was a MILF.The acronym stands for 'Mother I'd Like to F***', and refers to an attractive older woman with children. She said: 'I've got a show book that people sign my book when they come on the show and I've got a signature from Russell. Jo Whiley has revealed a message Russell Brand wrote to her calling her a MILF makes her 'shudder' in the wake of his rape and sexual assault convictions Brand, 51, was sentenced to ten years and six months in prison on Monday after a jury convicted him of offences committed between 2004 and 2009 (pictured together in 2013)'It's got the word, he just refers to me as a MILF and I feel like I keep looking at the bookshelf. It's like it's burning a hole in my bookshelf at the moment. 'I'm sitting in the living room like those words are there. I'm going to have to tear the page out and burn it. I really am because it just makes me shudder but that was what you expected I think when you met him.'Viewers have praised Jo for calling out the 'creepy' message and for addressing the topic with Zoe on their podcast.Jo said she 'cried' alongside her daughter Coco, 18, as she recalled the moment she found out about his verdict.'It just felt seismic,' she said. 'It felt extraordinarily important and there seems to have been since then this lament from women. I've just seen it over and over again and I cried.'It's for every woman who's ever been at the hands of somebody who's abused them whether it's sexual or domestic.'She added: 'I think for everyone it just felt like this massive empathy amongst women and from men as well. I think this kind of understanding of the effect that this kind of behavior has had on generation after generation of women.' The radio presenter, 61, spoke about the disgraced comedian alongside Zoe Ball (seen), 55, after he was found guilty of attacking four women during the height of his fameZoe said: 'I found it so harrowing. I think everybody has, I think it's been a real sort of collective feeling of you know horror and upset and then ultimately I guess relief that finally something has something big has happened that you hope is going to help women. 'I think the thing that really struck me during this trial was the harrowing detail that these incredible brave women had to go through at the hands of the defense as well.'Brand was found guilty on November 5 following a four-week trial at Southwark Crown Court.He was convicted of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault against four women, although the jury acquitted him of two further rape charges and one count of attempted indecent assault.Sentencing him on Monday, Mr Justice Joel Bennathan condemned his 'staggering arrogance' and told him that his growing fame had been accompanied by a belief that he could behave as he pleased.Brand's wife Laura was present in court as he was jailed, with the judge acknowledging the impact his imprisonment would have on their children.He told Brand that the loss of their father's presence was a consequence of his own serious offending.The comedian must serve two-thirds of his sentence before becoming eligible for release and will remain on the sex offenders' register for life.Police have also confirmed that Brand remains under investigation over two further allegations of rape.