Freya St. Johnston’s reputation has skyrocketed since 2010, not for the PR contract of the millennium, but for being the girlfriend of Liam Neeson, the Irish actor whose wife, actress Natasha Richardson, passed away after a head injury in 2009.
Freya St. Johnston is an U.K.-based public relations executive, and mother of two children. She may be bearing more than a passing resemblance to Natasha, blond hair and statuesque figure, but she is definitely a different person. At 37, the successful PR exec has to face personally what she’s been training her customers to face: the media fury, paparazzi, and the public scrutiny.
For instance, this week, the couple has been spotted in St. Tropez, and as Liam Neeson shared a kiss with his new love, the paparazzi seized the opportunity to take some shots, while the British media related the story in detail.
The media can be tamed, but for Natasha Richardson fans, accepting the fact that Liam Neeson is moving on with another woman may be harder than expected, and no amount of PR can change the way they feel:
“I don’t like seeing someone else holding Liam’s hand. It breaks my heart that it isn’t Natasha’s hand he’s holding. I know it’s good for him to find someone new but I really don’t like too. It’s a big reminder that it’s now two years ago since her death and they’re about to move on and I know that it doesn’t mean that they starting to forget her, he and the whole family and friends never will. Freya has much to live up to,” – wrote a Natasha fan on a forum board.
It’s going to be difficult for Freya St. Johnston and her two children to live the life they used to, which was protected by a certain level of privacy. Walking hand in hand with a star comes with a price.