Hugh Grant admits 1995 sex worker encounter came after he watched his ‘atrocious’ acting: ‘I was not in a good frame of mind’

Hugh Grant has blamed his ‘atrocious’ acting for his infamous encounter with a prostitute in Los Angeles 25 years ago.

The Love Actually star, 60, was arrested on Sunset Boulevard in 1995 with sex worker Divine Brown in his car.

And the British actor says the encounter happened after he watched his romantic comedy Nine Months.

He told the WTF podcast with Marc Maron: ‘The film was about to come out a week or two after that, and I had a bad feeling about it. I went to see a screening.

‘Everyone in it was brilliant, but I was so atrocious that I was not in a good frame of mind.’

Grant, who was in a relationship with actress Elizabeth Hurley at the time, added: ‘I had a Ken Russell kind of lunch, and one thing led to another.

‘I was just disappointed in myself. I don’t know what was going on.’

The Notting Hill star was followed by Hollywood vice squad police officers who saw Divine get into his BMW vehicle.

He pleaded no contest to lewd contact in court and was ordered to pay $1,180 (£850). He was put on probation for two years.

However, things are much happier for Grant today as he is married to wife Anna Eberstein who he wed in 2018.

But the couple admit things have been fraught during lockdown as his son Felix was home schooled.

Speaking to his Music and Lyrics co-star Drew, Hugh said: ‘I’ve rented two teenagers to come and homeschool them. Poor things, they don’t know what’s hit them. Ghastly.

‘My son self-harmed himself in front of this young tutor today because he couldn’t do a basic bit of arithmetic – so he stabbed himself in the face with a Biro.’

He added: ‘Difficult situation for the young man.’

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