My stepdad has been keeping a secret stash of deep fake naked photos of me – and he sends them to his mates

The Sun

21-06-2025

1
DEAR DEIDRE: DISCOVERING that my stepdad has a secret stash of naked images of me that he's been sharing with his mates has completely unsettled me.
The images are deeply troubling; they are all snaps taken of me, by my mum from holidays or days out over the years. He has then run them through an app to make me look naked.
I was so shocked when I saw the images that I confronted him straight away.
He didn't really have an explanation. He simply said he'd heard about the app and thought it wouldn't work but was curious and tried it anyway.
I'm 24 now and my stepdad has been in my life for 12 years when he and my mum met.
My dad had left when I was a toddler and didn't want any part of my life so I was really pleased that my stepdad showed an interest.
We have always had a pretty good relationship but even though I realise the naked body isn't mine it still feels like such a betrayal.
My stepdad picked me up from a late night out. It was about 1 am in the morning and when we got home we put some cheese and toast on, as is our tradition.
He was sorting out the grill when I noticed tonnes of notifications on his mobile which he'd left on the table.
Curious, I slid the phone over and saw loads of comments like 'so hot', 'lucky you' and 'perfection'.
I easily guessed his code and then the room started to spin when I realised all these men were referring to naked images of me.
My stepdad broke out in a sweat when he returned to find me frozen in shock and started muttering that it was just a silly mistake and I should forget about it.
Dear Deidre on relationships, jealousy and envy
I don't know how I managed it but I got back in the car with him and he drove me home.
I've avoided him for the past few weeks and now I'm accelerating my plan of moving out because I can't bear to be near him.
But I'm so worried about my mum. How can I tell her what her now husband has done?
Wouldn't I be better off finding my own place and avoiding him than ruining everything?
DEIDRE SAYS: Your stepdad has completely betrayed you and left you feeling responsible for his appalling behaviour.
Now you are even considering a complete relocation, to avoid any confrontation.
Firstly your biological father abandoned you. And now your stepdad, a man you hoped would right the wrongs of your biological father, has let you down badly.
It seems your step dad has been exchanging these deep fake images of you with acquaintances.
Your stepdad may want you to believe that this was 'just a silly mistake' but creating deepfake nudes, using AI technology to depict people in sexually explicit situations and then spreading and sharing them online is deeply troubling.
Your stepdad could well be liable for prosecution as exchanging these images online amounts to abuse.
I'm sure you have already started to worry what else your stepdad may have hidden away and you'll no doubt be looking back over your life with a whole new perspective and you'll be questioning everything.
I know you are worried about telling your mum, but that really is the best thing you can do.
Give her the opportunity to support you and help you find a way forward. You deserve that.
You can get support from the Revenge Porn Helpline (revengepornhelpline.org.uk).
And I'm sorry but as your stepdad has shared these images online they may have ended up on adult sites.
Please get in contact with Take It Down (takeit d own.ncmec.org) to learn how you can get these images removed.
Dear Deidre's Porn Files
Deidre's mailbag is stashed full with porn problems. One reader struggled to manage his addiction to racy videos, a different subscriber wrote in because she was being blackmailed with deep fake images by a work colleague, while one man decided to post sexy photos of his wife online.
THE LAW: AI DEEP FAKE PORN
AI deep fake pornography – where someone's face is digitally superimposed onto a sexualised or explicit body – is one of the fastest-growing and most insidious forms of image-based abuse.
These images are often created without the victim's knowledge or consent, and unlike traditional forms of sexual exploitation, they don't require the person to have ever posed nude or even been photographed in a compromising way.
The intent is rarely innocent – it's about humiliation, control, or sexual gratification without permission.
Until recently, this type of abuse sat outside the boundaries of UK law. But the Online Safety Act 2023 has made it a criminal offence to share explicit deepfake content without the subject's consent.
This includes any image or video where a person appears to be engaged in a sexual act or shown nude, regardless of whether it's been digitally manipulated.
However, creating or possessing AI-generated nudes – if not shared – remains legally ambiguous.
Police response has so far been inconsistent, and many victims report struggling to have their cases taken seriously, especially when the perpetrator is someone they know.
Though the images aren't 'real' in the traditional sense, the harm they cause is tangible and can have a lasting impact. Victims report symptoms commonly associated with trauma: shame, anxiety, paranoia, social withdrawal and fear of further exposure.
The knowledge that someone – often a colleague, friend, or even family member – has sexualised them without consent is deeply violating and can be traumatic.
This is about more than just new technology; it's about power, entitlement and control.
AI is simply the tool. The intent is to dehumanise and sexualise without permission.
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Sally Land is the Dear Deidre Agony Aunt. She achieved a distinction in the Certificate in Humanistic Integrative Counselling, has specialised in relationships and parenting. She has over 20 years of writing and editing women's issues and general features.
Passionate about helping people find a way through their challenges, Sally is also a trustee for the charity Family Lives. Her team helps up to 90 people every week.
Sally took over as The Sun's Agony Aunt when Deidre Sanders retired from the The Dear Deidre column four years ago.
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