LEGAL restrictions prevent me from saying too much about the Holly Willoughby stalker trial until a verdict is delivered. But undoubtedly, the alleged plot by an obsessive to “rape and murder” the 43-year-old TV host (which he denies) affected Holly enough that, when the allegations first came to light, she immediately removed herself from the public eye and took time out with her family. The high-profile trial is taking place just days after another obsessive admitted stalking Fern Britton .
James Haviland, 63, has been given a 12-month community service order and been barred from contacting her for ten years after carrying out a “pre-planned and well-researched stalking campaign”. He sent flowers to the 66-year-old TV presenter’s home in Cornwall, with a message saying “you’re beautiful” — and drove 200 miles to spend a week in a holiday cottage she owns next door, just so he could look into her garden. All of which might sound harmless compared to other cases where violence is threatened, but being stalked on any level invades your peace of mind and makes the victim alter their behaviour for fear of an escalation to physical harm.
Particularly when it becomes clear an obsessive knows where they live. Suddenly, the home that someone regards as their sanctuary becomes a place they feel wary in — feeling unduly startled by any strange noises and looking over their shoulder as they walk out of the door. Taylor Swift has endured a number of stalkers and .
