Hi OP,

Unfortunately, the automatic right to privacy is only as good as the people upholding it. If someone along the chain decides a story about a famous celebrity is too juicy not to sell to the foreign media, there is nothing the UK will be able to do to stop it. The story will run everywhere from blogs to Facebook to any media outlet that wants to print it in the US or EU outside the UK. The celebrity angle combined with a less than reputable source paying large sums of money for the information will test the honesty of even the best among us.

The first item before you do anything else is talk to your therapist about what you plan to do. They can help you prepare for the pain of reliving the trauma in testimony, the stress of the legal process, and the glare of the media if the celebrity is really as famous as you imply. It will be a long, hard road made worse by the celebrity of the person on the other side. Legions of people defended Bill Cosby even as his accusers lined up 5, 10, 15 and more. Be prepared for the most vile, evil things imaginable to be written about you. People protect their heros and the ideas of their heros.

That does not mean you shouldn't. Everyone who does something like that should be brought to justice. You just need to be ready and certain you're ready before you proceed.

The second item is to find a lawyer who has dealt with this type of case before. Search on Google for law firms that were involved in suing celebrities for similar crimes. They are the most likely firms to have the appropriate experience and discretion to handle a case like this. Don't be afraid to call more than one firm. You don't need to give anyone specifics until you are ready and find someone you are comfortable working with.

The third item is preparing for the future. Your lawyer will likely judge fees based on how likely they are to win a case. If they want a lot of money to push the case, it might not be worth it from their perspective. If they are willing to take the case on contingency (they get paid when you get paid at a fair % of the total), that is a different story. If you aren't happy with one lawyer's fees, presentation, or anything else, find another one. With that said, once two or three have asked for fees to take a case, that will tell you something about how likely you are to win the case based on their experience.

Finally, you mentioned it would destroy your family. If they are your family and love you, they will support you. You were the victim of a crime. That is not something to be shunned over.

tl;dr Prepare yourself for what might be coming by talking to your therapist, gather your best documentation together, call experienced firms for a consultation, and judge the outcome of the case based on the fees they ask for. If they think they can get paid out of the settlement/judgement, they will be more likely to take it on contingency. If they ask for fees up front, pass on them. Don't bankrupt yourself over this with a case they promise they can win if you only paid.