Kirsty Gallacher breaks her silence as she posts on social media for the first time since brother-in-law Russell Brand was accused of rape, sexual assault and predatory behaviour

Kirsty Gallacher returned to social media on Wednesday to share her first post since her brother-in-law Russell Brand was accused of rape, sexual assault and predatory behavior.

The presenter, 47, maintained a stoic silence following a joint investigation by the Sunday Times, The Times and Channel 4 Dispatches into the comedian’s behavior towards women at the height of his big TV fame audience.

But she returned to Instagram on Wednesday with a 46th birthday message for her Sky Sports colleague and close friend Natalie Pinkham.

Sharing a photo of the couple at the Ultimate Luxury Travel Related Awards, an event they co-hosted in 2018, she wrote: “Happy birthday to this special woman, how lucky I am to have you in my life. “

Pinkham later reposted the tribute on her own Instagram account, adding: “I love you too KG.”

Gallacher’s return to social media comes after a week away as Brand, married to the presenter’s younger sister Laura, fights to save his career after an in-depth expose over his actions while working on TV and on mainstream radio.

On September 16, shortly before the Dispatchers report aired on Channel 4, she appeared to support her brother-in-law after he took to social media to “absolutely deny” a series of very serious criminal allegations brought against him.

The Smooth Radio presenter shared the comedian’s two-minute YouTube video, alongside it with a large red love heart, in an Instagram story which she has since deleted.

Brand has since been accused of rape, sexual assault and psychological abuse by four women at the height of his fame, according to a joint Sunday Times and Channel 4 investigation.

The allegations allegedly took place between 2006 and 2013. One of the alleged victims is said to be a 16-year-old schoolgirl.