A BBC star has told how an "obsessive" stalker left her too terrified to go outside alone.
Acclaimed musician and TV presenter Anna Lapwood, 27, was harassed so much by a crazed fan she "feared for her safety", it has been revealed.
Miss Lapwood, who co-hosted the BBC's live broadcast of the first night of this year's Proms, has now seen her stalker jailed for six months.
American Elliott Bennett, 36, tracked her across the Atlantic and tried in vain to woo her.
He had begun following her "coast to coast" when organist, conductor and broadcaster Ms Lapwood toured the United States in March this year, Peterborough Crown Court heard.
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Ms Lapwood - dubbed 'the TikTok organist", with more than 550,000 followers on the social media site - described how his behaviour escalated in a "terrifying way" when he started appearing at all her "meet and greet" events following performances.
After originally asking for a picture of them together he went on to bombard her with letters declaring his love.
He got down on one knee at an event and took her hand, telling her they should be together - then said he "can't accept that" when told she had a boyfriend.
He later chased Ms Lapwood and her boyfriend across a car park after they left a hotel, the trial heard.
She performed at the Royal Albert Hall in London when returning to the UK but was "terrified" when spotting him as she met fans following the show.
It later emerged he had bought a one-way flight ticket from the US to pursue her - and he was seen repeatedly busking outside Pembroke College in Cambridge, where she works as director of music.
Bennett admitted stalking when he appeared at Peterborough Crown Court last Wednesday.
As well as now being jailed for six months, he has been given an indefinite restraining order.
Speaking after his sentencing, Ms Lapwood urged other stalking and harassment victims to seek help and contact police.
She said: "It's been a tough few months and I think the big thing that it's taught me, is that when something like this starts we shouldn't hesitate to report it.
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"I like to think the best of people and to think, 'Oh, that will be the last time, they'll have realised it's wrong now' - but the reality is that some people don't understand boundaries or heed warnings.
"The situation can escalate quickly and in a really terrifying way.
"When it began, I was worried that I might be over-reacting, but when I got in touch with the police they dealt with it immediately and with kindness."
She described how Bennett's behaviour meant she "felt threatened and had to be escorted everywhere".
Ms Lapwood said: "What started as a seemingly innocent encounter while on tour in the US grew into me becoming harassed in such a way that I feared for my safety and for those around me."
But she said she was grateful for the police's "speed of action" in arresting Bennett, adding it felt "like a strangely big moment" the first time she could go for coffee by herself once more - adding she could now "breathe in peace again".
Detective Constable Timothy Taylor, who investigated the case, praised Ms Lapwood for "her coverage and bravery in reporting this to the police and speaking out".
Ms Lapwood was the first female student in the history of Magdalen College in Oxford to be awarded an organ scholarship.
When appointed to her post at Pembroke College in 2016, aged 21, she became the youngest ever director of music at either Oxford University or Cambridge University.
