Behind the dossier: Steele dismisses James Bond comparisons -- but dossier did leave his life shaken, stirred

Five years after he penned the so-called "Steele dossier," British ex-spy Christopher Steele tells ABC News that his life has taken more turns than a James Bond film.

For Christopher Steele, the past five years could have been ripped from the big screen.

The saga that followed his politically-funded 2016 investigation into then-candidate Donald Trump had all the ingredients: sex, spies, intrigue. But on a recent morning in London, strolling past Royal Albert Hall billboards for the new James Bond film "No Time To Die," this real retired British intelligence officer dismissed comparisons to 007 as "amusing, really."

Steele characterizes himself as a reluctant celebrity, whose emergence from the shadows was an "uncomfortable" experience -- especially as his public persona was shaped by others in ways that were not always flattering.

"I thought it was important to come and set the record straight," Steele told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos in the first extended interview he has granted since his now-infamous "Steele dossier" became public.