‘Baby Reindeer,’ the new Netflix series, has become one of the most talked-about shows in recent days, continuously making headlines. The story follows a comedian who finds himself in trouble after being kind to a woman, which sparks a terrible obsession and becomes his stalker.
The show, created and performed by Richard Gadd, has sparked interest on social media, with people eager to learn about the real events and individuals behind the macabre story.
Recently, a woman identified as Fiona Harvey appeared in the British press, claiming to be the supposed real accuser in the story. She asserts that she is the true victim and has threatened to take legal action against Netflix. Meanwhile, the media has also speculated about the identity of the man who sexually abused the series’ creator, leading to much controversy. Gadd has urged fans to stop speculating about people who resemble the characters depicted on screen.
The story of ‘Baby Reindeer’ has also gained followers among celebrities, even reminding them of personal experiences.
Here are some celebrities who have had to deal with the obsession of a fan.
Miranda Cosgrove
With the release of the Netflix series, the iCarly star revealed in Bustle magazine that she had to deal with a stalker eight years ago.
She said she got a call that somebody had died in their house. “Basically, I guess a guy came and he was burying things in my backyard for three days. He buried a lunchbox with a milk chocolate inside of it in my backyard, and then he buried knives and a rope and a bunch of random stuff” Cosgrove revealed in a podcast.
Cosgrove said that she hadn’t noticed that he had been burying items in her yard, sharing that he was also pacing the yard with a gun.
Read also: Miranda Cosgrove Shares her own ‘Baby Reindeer’ Incident: Her Stalker’s Disturbing Act in Her Yard
The man entered her yard and subsequently set himself on fire, an event that understandably left her traumatized.
The stalker had previously shot at a woman who resembled the actress and was driving near the star’s house.
“Somebody drove up that had a similar car that kind of looks like my car and I guess he got confused and he thought that maybe it was me driving up,” she explained. “He shot at this person six times and he missed”
This situation made her feel unsafe everywhere, even in her own home, so she had to move away.
Björk
One of the most macabre cases is that of Icelandic singer Björk and her Uruguayan stalker Ricardo López. A lonely man with mental disorders, that attempted to kill her in 1996.
López suffered from Klinefelter syndrome, which causes men to develop low levels of testosterone, leading to enlarged breasts, reduced sexual desire, infertility, flabby muscles, and small genitals, which contributed to his introverted personality.
López became obsessed with several celebrities, including Björk, but when he found out that the singer was dating musician Goldie, he decided to end her life by sending a package containing a sulfuric acid bomb to her residence in London. The package was intercepted, and no one was harmed. López committed suicide, leaving behind a diary and videos detailing his plans.
Harry Styles
Harry Styles also experienced a tense moment last April when a court sentenced a fan to 14 months in prison and ordered her to stay away from the artist for 10 years, as well as not attend any of his events, after she sent him more than 8,000 letters in one month.
The artist had already dealt with a stalker in 2019, when a Spanish citizen identified as Tarazaga-Orero developed obsessive behaviors after the singer offered to buy her food upon seeing her sleeping at a bus stop.
Taylor Swift
Being one of the most famous celebrities, Taylor Swift has also dealt with stalkers. In 2022, a man identified as Morgan Mank was arrested after crashing into Taylor’s apartment building in New York City in the early hours of the morning and attempting to enter. He was taken into custody.
In 2021, two men were arrested in separate incidents for trying to enter her New York apartment. One of them received a 30-month prison sentence. Another stalker in 2017, received a six-month jail sentence for repeated attempts to break into her New York residence.
Then, in 2018, another man drove from Colorado to Taylor’s home in Beverly Hills with a mask and a knife. This led her to obtain a restraining order against him.
Selena Gómez
In 2014, a man was arrested twice in one week for trespassing at Selena Gomez’s home, resulting in serious harassment charges. The stalker was also accused of ignoring a court order to keep his distance from the singer. Despite the property being gated and having security staff, the singer had to call emergency services for her safety. She eventually sold the property in 2015.
Lindsay Lohan
The Mean Girls star was also a victim of a stalker. In 2016, she posted a photo on her Twitter account, now X, of the man she believed was stalking and threatening her. The man identified as Daniel Vorderwulbecke, 37, was arrested for continuously harassing Lindsay and her team in London, where she was rehearsing for a play. He called himself “King Lionheart” and believed that he and Lindsay had been communicating daily through social media and were married.
Charges were dropped when she failed to return from the US to give evidence after completing a community service order for motoring offences.
Justin Bieber
In his teenage years, Justin Bieber attracted a lot of attention, so much that he became a victim of stalking. In 2013, the singer had a horrifying experience with a stalker named Mark Staake, 41, who, along with his nephew Tanner Ruane, were plotting to castrate and kill the pop singer. The reason? he was tired of being a “nobody” and was irked by Bieber not answering his fan mail. The man also had an elaborate Bieber tattoo on his leg. 
Both were operating under the orders of Dana Martin, 45, who reportedly hired his nephew, Tanner Ruane, and Martin’s ex-fellow inmate Staake to murder Bieber and his bodyguard in Vermont.
This story was written in spanish by Daniel Matute in Cultura Colectiva
