The Salt Path scandal has been inescapable since The Observer published an investigation over the weekend, accusing the book of being “based on lies” and stating allegations that author Raynor Winn – aka Sally Walker – had embezzled over £60,000 from her former employer. Sally Walker and her husband Tim have said via a statement that the pair of them stand by The Salt Path, a book marketed as a life affirming true story. The Salt Path pre the big exposé was a hugely beloved and award winning book, which led to the film adaptation starring Gillian Anderson as Winn and Jason Isaacs as Moth. The film only hit cinemas in the UK in May, and now in the wake of the piece in The Observer the film producers have released a statement addressing The Salt Path allegations and backlash.
The film producers speak out
The Salt Path was adapted from book to film last year, when it made its first premiere at film festivals, before coming to UK cinemas in May 2025. Now that The Observer has published its bombshell story about the legitimacy of The Salt Path’s claims to being a true story, representatives for film producers Number 9 Films and Shadowplay Features gave a statement to Deadline on Monday.
Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs in The Salt Path
“There were no known claims against the book at the time of optioning it or producing and distributing the film,” the statement reads. The producers insist the first they heard of the allegations against the book were from The Observer the week before the article was published, and that The Salt Path film is a “faithful adaptation of the book that we optioned” and that the team “undertook all necessary due diligence before acquiring the book”.
“The allegations made in The Observer relate to the book and are a matter for the author Raynor Winn. We have passed any correspondence relating to the article to Raynor and her agent,” the statement concluded.
Sally and Tim Walker – aka, Raynor Winn and Moth – previously said the following statement via legal representatives to The Observer: “The Salt Path lays bare the physical and spiritual journey Moth [Winn’s husband] and I shared, an experience that transformed us completely and altered the course of our lives. This is the true story of our journey.”
A further statement from the pair in The Telegraph said: “[The] Observer article is highly misleading. We are taking legal advice and won’t be making any further comment at this time.”
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