A Scientist Outs Herself as Sex Diarist and Ex-Prostitute

A literary mystery was solved this weekend when Brooke Magnanti, a research scientist for the University of Bristol’s Initiative for Research of Child Health, unmasked herself as Belle de Jour, a sex blogger whose memoirs were spun into a popular British television series, Secret Diary of a Call Girl.

Six years ago, Ms. Magnanti was finishing her Ph.D. thesis in forensic pathology at Sheffield University when she ran out of money, so she began working for a London escort service. She worked there for 14 months as a $500-an-hour prostitute, then anonymously described her experiences on a popular blog, Belle de Jour: Diary of a London Call Girl. A series of bestselling books and the television series followed, spurring speculation about Belle’s identity.

Ms. Magnanti publicly laid the mystery to rest in an interview with The Sunday Times, citing the hassles of anonymity and an ex-boyfriend who seemed likely to spill the beans. Last month she revealed her secret to her university colleagues, who she said were “amazingly kind and supportive.”

A spokesman for the university said her employment prospects would not be affected by the revelation. “This aspect of Dr. Magnanti’s past is not relevant to her current role at the university,” the spokesman said. –Don Troop