The Alleged Real-Life Martha Of ‘Baby Reindeer’ Is Taking Umbrage With The Show And Considering Legal Action

If you haven’t caught Baby Reindeer yet on Netflix, comedian, creator, and star Richard Gadd‘s limited series is still racking up views on the streaming service. The limited series, which is a version of Gadd’s one-man stage show dissecting a spiral of traumatic experiences, including being stalked by a female dubbed as “Martha,” has even managed to freak out horror maestro Stephen King: “BABY REINDEER: Holy sh*t.”

The show’s rapid ascent also caused internet speculation about the identities of two characters, including Martha, and Gadd has asked people to refrain from speculating, but a woman who now claims to be the real-life Martha has declared that she is not entertained by this series, and she denies any allegations against her. The Daily Mail spoke with the woman, who they are purposefully not identifying, who claims that Gadd is “bullying an older woman on television for fame and fortune” and that she has received “death threats and abuse” from those who support Gadd. The woman further claims that she is considering a defamation lawsuit, and that “[h]e’s using Baby Reindeer to stalk me now.” She also added, “I’m the victim. He’s written a bloody show about me.”

The Daily Mail writes that this woman “bears an uncanny physical resemblance to Martha” (who is portrayed by Jessica Gunning on the Netflix show) and that other aspects of her life parallel that of the character. That includes the woman’s previous record of stalking, although Gadd stressed that he had changed details to make sure that Martha (and the character of Darrien) couldn’t be traced to their real-life identities. As already mentioned, this hasn’t stopped the speculation, and as Hollywood Reporter previously reported, Gadd took to Instagram: “People I love, have worked with, and admire (including Sean Foley) are unfairly getting caught up in speculation.”

Foley has been fending off accusations regarding the Darrien character, and he responded on Twitter: “Police have been informed and are investigating all defamatory abusive and threatening posts against me.”

Baby Reindeer is currently streaming on Netflix.

(Via Daily Mail & Hollywood Reporter)