Harvey Weinstein: Rose McGowan speaks of huge relief after guilty verdict

Rose McGowan joins other accusers and protesters speaking out against Harvey Weinstein. Photo / Getty Images.

Rose McGowan felt like she had "500,000lb lifted off her shoulders" when Harvey Weinstein was found guilty.

The Charmed star has been one of the most high profile accusers of the movie mogul - who was found guilty of third-degree rape and a first-degree criminal sexual act in his sexual assault trial in Manhattan, New York City - and now he has been convicted of the crimes, she feels a huge weight off her.

Speaking to The Guardian, she said: "Everybody expected him to get off, including me. In my experience with this stuff, his defences were so strong. The two cases that were chosen to prosecute had never been successfully prosecuted in a court of law. And also, I'm just a woman. We expect to get absolutely nothing. We're so used to being dumped on that why would anybody believe us? ... I felt like I had about 500,000lb lifted off my shoulders. I knew that I was operating at a very high anxiety level, really for the last three years, and to have that burden lifted, it felt like my cells were dissolving."

Harvey Weinstein arrives at a Manhattan courthouse for his rape trial. Photo / AP.

Meanwhile, Rose previously admitted she doesn't think she'll get closure over her Harvey Weinstein allegations until "one of them is dead".

Asked if the trial was bringing her any sense of finality in her own story, and she said: "Probably not until he's dead now. I feel like he and I are strapped in this battle together until one of us is dead. That's how it goes. Energetically, we're like just locked. It's a really disgusting feeling. I just would love to be able to be like other people and live my life. That would be really nice, you know?"

Rose McGowan speaks at a news conference alongside actor Rosanna Arquette. Photo / AP.

Rose also spoke out following Weinstein's conviction, as she admitted she feared he would be "exonerated".

She said: "This is a huge victory for all of us who have ever been affected by Harvey Weinstein. This affects so many. It's a huge moment. I thought he was going to exonerated. I never really had hope you see.

Harvey Weinstein arrives at a Manhattan courthouse as jury deliberations continue. Photo / AP.

"I realised the last time I had hope was the moment before I was raped by him and after that it became survival. I didn't have hope but not because of the jury, I'm very grateful to that jury for getting further than most jury's get in rape cases. I was worried, it's hard to speak publicly about it without getting sued. But it's an extraordinary moment and it's a watershed moment. It's a never-ending kind of situation."