Knud Brix reveals he was stalked by a woman

DR reports that Knud Brix has spoken publicly about being stalked by a woman in 2020, including an incident in which she went to his home and tried to get a job at his son’s school.

Brix, the current editor-in-chief of Ekstra Bladet, discusses the case in an interview with DR’s Genstart podcast. Before the stalking and harassment began, he and the woman had shared a bottle of wine at his home.

Didde Hauch, a PhD holder and consultant at the Danish Stalking Center, said the case was an example of celebrity stalking. The woman had listened to many episodes of Genstart and formed an impression of Brix.

“She became fascinated by him and found him appealing in a way that made her reach out,” Hauch said on P1 Morgen.

She said this created an imbalance in the relationship because the woman had followed Brix’s public activities, while he only knew of her peripherally.

“The stalker forms an impression in advance of who the other person is and may, without the other person realising it, build on that story and act accordingly,” Hauch said.

Celebrity stalking is less common than the form of stalking involving former partners, she said. In those cases, the victim and the perpetrator have typically been in a relationship, dated or had another intimate connection.

Up to 100,000 people in Denmark are subjected to stalking each year, according to the Danish Stalking Center. Men account for 35 per cent of victims.

Stalking is defined as a systematic series of unwanted and persistent contacts or actions that the victim experiences as boundary-crossing and intimidating. It can include surveillance, unwanted calls, text messages, emails, threats, unwanted visits and following.

Stalking became a separate criminal offence in Denmark in 2022. Between 2022 and 2024, there were 161 convictions under the provision, including 19 people convicted solely under the stalking provision.

DR asked the woman for her response to Brix’s account. She said she would have liked to comment on the entire case but felt she had not been given a genuine opportunity to do so.

“It is boundary-crossing to have a completed chapter reopened in public without my consent,” she said.

She added that she had never had bad intentions and apologised to Brix and his wife for any harm she may have caused.

“I was in a difficult place in my life and acted out of desperation,” she said. “Meeting Knud was a terrible misfortune for me, but Knud has nothing to fear from me.”

Brix is due to move to Kenya next year to work as DR’s Africa correspondent.