Major British female celebrity's affair with top athlete revealed by leaked intimate photos, messages

A prominent female celebrity has had thousands of personal images and messages, revealing an affair with an athlete, leaked on the internet.

Described as a "high-profile figure and entrepreneur," the woman is believed to be from the UK.

A hacker used spyware to access her email and social media accounts, releasing private information.

Nearly 90,000 screenshots from her smartphone were stored online by the cybercriminal, but due to setup errors, they were accessible to others.

Cybersecurity researcher Jeremiah Fowler found the leak, which had been exposed for over two weeks.

Stolen content included “private and romantic exchanges,” intimate photos, as well as invoices and receipts.

Selfies and private conversations from Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and TikTok were also compromised. The data exposed an affair with a famous athlete.

Mr. Fowler told The Sun on Sunday: “Both were married. The extracted data could be very damaging.

“It was evident that there was an affair involving a well-known public figure.

“The affair wasn't covered by media, but the files being publicly exposed for so long increases the risk of someone exploiting it for extortion.”

Mr. Fowler, with over ten years in cybersecurity, noted: “I informed the police through email.

“The victim was made aware, but I’m unsure if she reported it to authorities.”

The cyberstalker used the notorious Cocospy tool to monitor the celebrity’s phone.

This “stalkerware” allows secret monitoring of someone’s device without detection.

It operated in “stealth mode,” capturing regular screenshots. Mr. Fowler discovered 86,859 screenshots in his investigation.

Cocospy and two other similar spyware apps went offline last year after a data breach exposed sensitive information from millions of monitored devices.

About 3.2 million email addresses of those setting up the surveillance were also exposed.

Wired magazine reported that Cocospy marketed itself for “parental control, tracking, and remote monitoring.”

It advised users to “do it invisibly,” with a legal disclaimer: “For lawful use only.”

Creeps using stalkerware can face charges in the UK under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.

American Mr. Fowler, working with US-based Black Hills Information Security, provided limited details about the case but said: “The victim might know who planted the spyware and may have dealt with it privately.”

He contacted the victim via WhatsApp using information found in the data.

He explained: “My contact message assured her I was an ethical researcher intending only to alert and protect her privacy, emphasizing she was a crime victim.

“I promised not to reveal her identity or those she interacted with.”

In a blog for the ExpressVPN website, Mr. Fowler wrote: “Though involving public figures like celebrities and social media influencers, the real issue goes beyond high-profile targets.

“These tools are commonly used in broader cybercrime and harassment incidents affecting everyday users.

“My goal with these findings is to highlight the dangers of stalkerware.

“By sharing real cases, readers can better comprehend privacy risks, identify protective measures, and understand potential harm.”

Another expert, tech journalist Will Guyatt, claimed the attack, carried out using Cocospy, was likely targeted.

He said: “Such tools are often used in abusive and coercive relationships for secret tracking.

“These attacks are rare but highlight the importance of monitoring device locations along with passwords.”

Wired magazine's report on the celebrity data leak stated numerous selfies were among the data.

Mr. Fowler’s findings occur amid rising digital technology misuse for abusing and harassing women.

Fellow cybercrime specialists in the US highly regard Mr. Fowler.

In January, he alerted about 150 million Gmail and Facebook users at risk of password theft in a cyberattack.

And in July last year, he exposed up to a million adoption records left publicly accessible online before the authorities intervened.