Love Island star collects honour at Windsor Castle

A woman holding an MBE medal. She is wearing a checked grey jacket with a black jumper underneath, and a black hat. She is standing on a lawn inside a castle, and is smiling at the camera.Image source, Andrew Matthews/PA
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Georgia Harrison said she would "continue to evoke change for women everywhere"

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A reality TV celebrity who has campaigned for safety for women and girls after becoming a victim of an ex-partner sharing sex videos online has been formally appointed MBE at a ceremony at Windsor Castle.

Georgia Harrison, 30, rose to fame after her appearance on ITV's Love Island in 2017.

In 2021, she waived her right to anonymity ahead of a trial that saw Stephen Bear jailed for sharing a secretly recorded sex tape of her on the Only Fans website.

After he was sentenced in 2023, Harrison attended a demonstration, held outside Parliament by domestic violence charity Refuge, calling for specific protections for women and girls to be included in the Online Safety Bill.

Prince William honouring Georgia Harrison with a MBE. They are both smiling. Image source, Aaron Chown/PA Wire
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Georgia Harrison was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire by the Prince of Wales

Harrison was recognised in the King's Birthday Honours list for services to tackling online privacy and cyber crime awareness, and has been presented with her MBE medal by his son, the Prince of Wales, which she described as a "magical moment".

She said that Prince William told her he had followed her story.

"It was such an amazing opportunity, and I'm really grateful, and I'm 100% going to continue to step up in my campaigning," she said.

"And if anything, this is going to be something that really drives me to continue to evoke change for women everywhere, and I'm really grateful to be given such responsibility."

Georgia Harrison, a blonde woman wearing a blue and white stripy shirt and a grey coat, holding a piece of paper and making a speech in front of a selection of signs warning that social media companies do not take reports of abuse against women and girls seriously.Image source, Getty Images
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Georgia Harrison became a campaigner on tackling violence against women and girls since since her ex-partner was jailed for posting an intimate video of her online

Bear, also a reality star, was given a 21-month sentence after being found guilty of voyeurism and disclosing private sexual photographs and films with intent to cause distress. He was released from HMP Brixton in 2024 after serving 10 and a half months.

Georgia Harrison wearing a long grey coat and grey trousers, making a speech outside the glass doors of a court. Her lawyers are standing behind her and members of the press are standing in front of her holding out microphones.Image source, Getty Images
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Ms Harrison waived her automatic right to anonymity during the trial in 2021 and spoke to press on the steps of Chelmsford Crown Court

Harrison also called for social media platforms to be "held accountable" for online harassment and abuse, and criticised the justice system for failing to "keep up".

Later that year, she discussed the bill in a Downing Street and met with former technology secretary Michelle Donelan as it returned to the Commons for its final stages.

In 2024, she helped Thames Valley Police launch a campaign about sexual consent titled Consent Conversations.

Harrison explored the prevalence of deepfakes and image-based sexual abuse in an ITV documentary titled Georgia Harrison: Porn, Power, Profit.

On her conversation with Prince William, she said: "I basically said that I think it's absolutely amazing that so many women have now been getting guilty verdicts thanks to the change in the law, and it's a lot easier for them.

"I just highlighted that at the moment, if you do report image-based sexual abuse, you have to do it within a six-month window, whereas not everyone always finds out that soon - their footage could have been uploaded, like a year before they find it on a platform. So that's also slightly hindering victims."

She added that people running social media and messaging platforms "need to be getting held accountable... the final step would be for the platform owners to be actually getting some sort of consequence for when they are allowing wrongdoing on the platforms".

Stephen Bear with dark hair and neck tattoos, wearing sunglasses and a black coat over a black suit and tie. He is standing in the street and appears to be in the middle of speaking, with someone holding a microphone out to him.Image source, Getty Images
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Stephen Bear was released from prison in January 2024

As well as Love Island, Harrison has taken part in reality TV shows including Celebrity Ex On The Beach and Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, which she won with boxer Lani Daniels.

Georgia Harrison shaking hands with Prince William as she is presented with her MBE medal, which is pinned to her jacket breast pocket. The prince is standing on a square of red carpet and is wearing a blue uniform with circular lengths of gold braid hanging on his right shoulder and going under his armpit. Harrison is standing off the carpet in front of him. They are in a grand room which has a gold glow. Other people are standing in line on the right and appear to be waiting to be seen next, and there are castle staff behind the prince and in the backgroundImage source, Aaron Chown/PA
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Harrison praised the previous government for "putting so much time into this... awareness has been raised, which is the main point of change"

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