Brown: 'Hugh Grant was my Richard Gere'

Former prostitute Divine Brown has thanked Hugh Grant for changing her life, claiming that she now relates to Julia Roberts's character in Pretty Woman.

The actor made headlines when he picked up Brown on Sunset Boulevard in 1995 while he was still in a relationship with Liz Hurley. Brown has claimed that since her encounter with Grant she has been able to turn her life around and has made $1 million (£666,667) in publicity deals.

She told the Daily Mail: "That was the trick that changed my life. The event that earned me a million dollars... the fuss afterwards scared me right there and took me off the game... I have the most wonderful life now. I've got a nice new home... there's no pool but there is a picket fence. I thank the Lord everyday.

"I was always attracted to the glamorous life and that half an hour with Hugh Grant made me able to buy all the things I'd dreamt of having. That film Pretty Woman seemed to be what my life was about. Hugh Grant was my Richard Gere."