Former 60 Minutes reporter Liz Hayes reflected on the moment she interviewed actor Hugh Grant after his scandalous tryst with a sex worker in 1995.
The 67-year-old journalist said the 63-year-old Hollywood star appeared to have suffered “worldwide pain” because of his “personal indiscretion.”
Appearing on the “A Life of Greatness” podcast, the TV host went on to say she could feel the star’s suffering.
“I felt like he was beaten a little bit.” That's the worldwide pain he suffered. “Hugh Grant had just been convicted of his personal indiscretion,” she told host Sarah Grynberg.
“You know, he had a night with him [a sex worker]“He was picked up in LA, his mug shot was taken, you know, and then we were supposed to show up to do an interview with him for his latest film.”
Former 60 Minutes reporter Liz Hayes, 67, (left) reflected on the moment she interviewed actor Hugh Grant, 63, (right) after his scandalous tryst with a sex worker in 1995
She added: “He appeared unaccompanied.” He didn't seem to need a tribe of people around him. I felt like he had been beaten a bit.'
Hugh and former prostitute Divine Brown were both arrested on June 27, 1995 for a public sex act.
Officers were drawn to Hugh's car because they noticed his brake lights flashing on and off as the driver pressed his foot on the pedal.
The 67-year-old journalist said the 63-year-old Hollywood star appeared to have suffered “worldwide pain” because of his “personal indiscretion.” Pictured: Hugh Grant's mugshot after his arrest in 1995
Both were arrested and pleaded no contest to the offenses, which resulted in fines.
Divine, 54, made a fortune after the arrest as the case gained widespread attention thanks to Hugh's celebrity.
“That was the trick that changed my life,” she said.
She has since said the incident allowed her to send her children to private school.
She and her then-partner also purchased a four-bedroom home in Beverly Hills.
In 1995, Divine Brown (pictured the same year) was caught performing a sex act with British actor Hugh Grant in Los Angeles, which propelled her to fame and fortune
However, early last year, Divine was charged with assault, child cruelty, drug possession and allegedly smuggling cocaine into a prison, according to Fulton County arrest records. If convicted, he faces up to 30 years in prison.
She reportedly earned around $1.6 million from the publicity she received from her arrest with Hugh and remained in the public eye through her work in the adult film industry, television appearances and interviews with newspapers.
But a close neighbor at the south Atlanta property where she now lives told The Mirror that Divine has come a long way since becoming an overnight star.
While Divine would prefer everyone to see her as someone who lives a glamorous lifestyle, “she doesn't have a car and the shoes she steps out in are gross old flip-flops,” the neighbor said, adding the sentence: “Red shoes and no underwear.” Divine summarizes.
Hugh was dating actress and model Elizabeth Hurley at the time of the incident. Pictured together in 1994
Hugh Grant60 Minutes Australia