Downton Abbey actress Jessica Brown Findlay speaks out on phone hacking

A Downton Abbey actress targeted in a hacking scandal '“ seeing her intimate images and videos leaked '“ said the treatment of women online needs to be better policed.

Downton Abbey actress Jessica Brown Findlay. Picture: PA

Former ballerina, Jessica Brown Findlay, said that she wants to “start speaking up”, after so far remaining tight-lipped about her ordeal.

“I want the world to really start looking into the treatment of women, particularly on the internet,” she said.

“Because, to me, there seem to be two sets of rules: one for the real world and one for the cyber world.

“I don’t understand why, in a society where we are encouraged to live through the internet, that forum is not being better policed.”

In 2014 the 26-year-old fell victim to hackers when they stole naked video clips from her Apple iCloud account, along with a number of intimate pictures.

Other celebrities that were targeted in the breach include Hunger Games star Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Upton, Amber Heard, Kirsten Dunst and Anna Kendrick.

Best known for playing Lady Sybil in the ITV period drama, Brown Findlay also said that her time on Downton Abbey was “great to be a part of”.