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It was the dream signing for the owner of an unidentified Nottingham gallery - an exhibition including the work of Hollywood actor-turned-artist Pierce Brosnan, who would likewise attend to satisfy fans.

But the gallery's owner has actually exposed how her income and reputation were 'destroyed' after the Pierce Brosnan with whom she spent months negotiating the exhibit of a lifetime ended up not to be the Bond star however a 'deepfake'.

Simone Simms has spoken for the very first time about how she fell for the fancy artificial intelligence (AI) scam which led to her losing her ₤ 30,000 Long Eaton gallery.

Ms Simms told The Mail on Sunday she was 'villainised' after selling ₤ 20,000 worth of tickets to art lovers with the promise of conference 71-year-old Brosnan, just to discover she had been duped.

Scammers used AI to generate a persuading similarity of Mr Brosnan video-calling her from his ₤ 80million house in Hawaii.

Ms Simms remembered 'how genuine' he appeared on Zoom and how she 'screeched with excitement that he remained in my living-room speaking with me' before taking the bait and sending the fraudsters ₤ 3,000 for 'shipping fees' for the art.

Her problem started when she called what she thought to be Mr Brosnan's genuine Facebook page at the start of 2023 and asked if he would exhibit his paintings at her place.

She then states she was contacted by what she thought was the star and around 200 messages were exchanged in between them on the Telegram messaging app, including a variety of voice notes talking about the exhibit.

The AI deepfake of 007 star Pierce Brosnan that fooled art gallery owner Simone Simms

Mrs Simms (envisioned, left) came down with a fraud that resulted in her losing her ₤ 30,000 art gallery

More than 20,000 tickets were sold with the promise of conference 71-year-old Brosnan, who fraudsters had actually deepfaked to appear like he was calling Mrs Simms from his ₤ 80million home in Hawaii

A Pierce Brosnan painting. Mrs Simms exchanged 200 messages through Telegram with who she believed was the Bond actor

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In one audio message, listened to by The Mail on Sunday, a voice with Mr Brosnan's distinctive Irish accent discusses the upcoming exhibition.

'Simone, it's Pierce Brosnan here, how's it going? Just wanted to apologise for not being able to establish a meeting,' the voice says.

'I've been overloaded recently. Please let your team know that I genuinely value the invite to the art exhibition.

'I have high expectations it will be a substantial success.'

In a subsequent video call, Mr Brosnan's image appeared on the screen but the sound was off. Messages from the individual on the other side of the phone claimed there was a technological issue.

Two of Ms Simms's friends were also in the video meeting, one of two Ms Simms thought she had actually had with Brosnan, asteroidsathome.net and were both deceived, insisting she was not an 'moron'.

One of them, artist Neil Adcock, said: 'It looked like his real face. He said his kid had actually set it up for him. He said the noise problem was on our end. It brought on for a while.'

Pierce Brosnan at the Art Miami VIP opening in Miami Florida

After the fake occasion was reserved, Mr Brosnan put out a statement damning the gallery, insisting he 'would never charge for a satisfy and welcome'

The genuine Pierce's art work. Mrs Simms advertised ₤ 500 'fulfill and greet' tickets with the deepfake Mr Brosnan

Another painting the real Mr Brosnan. Mrs Simms says she wants the actor would acknowledge her as a victim rather than a villain

Others have reported being contacted by a fake Facebook account, claiming to be Mr Brosnan. Pictured: hb9lc.org One of the genuine Mr Brosnan's paintings

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Meanwhile, after Ms Simms scheduled and marketed her show, the real Mr Brosnan saw an ad for the exhibition featuring his art online and provided a statement damning the gallery, insisting he 'would never charge for a fulfill and welcome'.

His legal representatives sent her an immediate cease-and-desist letter in November 2023, three days after she marketed the ₤ 500 VIP meet-and-greet tickets.

A 'frightened' Ms Simms understood her mistake and tearfully remembered: 'It was the worst time of my life and it tainted my track record.

'Pierce harmed me by issuing the statement. He should have done more research before he did since he would realise I was just a fan connecting however he villainised me and that's where it started to fail.

'I wish he would acknowledge me as a victim and not as a villain. He needs to inform the public about what truly occurred and set the tone.

'I don't dislike him, since he is a victim too. People abused his picture. If I understood it wasn't him, I would never have set up the exhibition or offered the tickets.'

An image by Piers Brosnan depicting a green area on the coast

Ms the ₤ 20,000 in tickets but was forced to shut her gallery in August 2024 after the event left her track record in tatters. Pictured: A painting by Pierce Brosnan

Among the genuine Pierce Brosnan's paintings depicting a woman resting

As soon as she realised she had been fooled, Ms Simms reimbursed the ₤ 20,000 in tickets however was forced to shut her gallery in August 2024 after the legend left her reputation in tatters, with lots of still believing she had attempted to rip-off them.

Others have actually reported being called by a fake Facebook account, claiming to be Mr Brosnan, asking which of his films is their preferred before asking for money.

It comes as last month The Mail exposed how a separated woman was duped into turning over ₤ 700,000 to a scammer presenting as Brad Pitt and asked for money to money his immediate kidney cancer treatment.

Mr Brosnan has been approached for comment.

NottinghamPierce BrosnanHawaii