BBC star Christina Trevanion has issued a heartfelt statement on her Instagram story this afternoon, thanking those for all the support she had received after speaking about her “deepfake” experience.
Last week, the Bargain Hunt presenter’s latest film was shown on Morning Live with hosts Gethin Jones and Gaby Roslin where she shared her story of being embroiled in a series of “deepfake” clips and images.
Jones introduced the subject and said: “Here at Morning Live we don’t shy away from talking about difficult topics, and today we’re looking at the rise of deepfakes.
“This is where a person’s image is used, often without their consent, to make pictures or videos.”
Roslin elaborated: “And in some instances, it’s used to make explicit or pornographic material. One person who was targeted is BBC presenter and antiques expert, Christina Trevanion.
“She’s speaking out for the first time about the damaging effect this has had on her and her family, and finds out what’s being done to stop it.”
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Going into detail about her ordeal, Trevanion explained in the clip: “Last September, I discovered that my image had been used to create phony, explicit videos known as deepfake porn.
“I was sent a very long list of sensitive URLs, where my head had been AI’d onto pornographic videos and images.
“It was a sense of… this is unreal, this can’t be happening. Then, as it sort of sunk in, it was… It was deeply distressing.”
A tearful Trevanion took a pause as the lasting impact of the ordeal became clear: “Yeah, really distressing. And I felt… Naïve and stupid. Utterly violated in every single way.”
The BBC star received an outpouring of love from viewers at home watching the show, who eventually reached out on social media to show their support.
Today, Trevanion explained how overwhelmed and grateful she felt for the support she had received after sharing her story.
She penned on her Instagram story: “I am overwhelmed by the amount of messages and support you have shown me and appreciate everyone who has got in touch. I made the film to highlight this dreadful form of abuse. It has to stop.
“To all survivors – you are not alone. So many thank yous. @bbcmorninglive for not shying away from tackling difficult subjects.
“A special thanks to @jodiecampaigns for bravely sharing her story with us & #BaronnessOwen for continuing the fight.” (sic)
The programme explains how it is an offence to share or threaten to share intimate images, including deepfakes, under the Sexual Offences Act 2003. However, it is currently not illegal to create such images.
During the film, Trevanion asked: “How can we end up in pornographic films without our knowledge and without our consent?
“And it not be illegal? And not only is it not illegal to create the images, the traffic to websites that allow you to create that content is on the rise.”