The estranged wife of producer Harvey Weinstein, designer Georgina Chapman, on Thursday broke her silence on accusations of sexual misconduct against him, saying they sickened her.
Chapman, co-founder of the Marchesa fashion label, told Vogue magazine in her first interview since the scandal broke last October, “I lost ten pounds in five days. I couldn’t keep food down.”
She said she never suspected the disgraced film producer of the multiple sexual assaults of which he has been accused. “Absolutely not. Never,” she replied, when asked if she had suspicions, adding that she has “never been one of those people who obsesses about where someone is.” She later said: “I had what I thought was a very happy marriage. I loved my life.”
The accusations against Weinstein were first reported by the New York Times and New Yorker magazine.
“My head was spinning. And it was difficult because the first article was about a time long before I’d ever met him, so there was a minute where I couldn’t make an informed decision. And then the stories expanded and I realised that this wasn’t an isolated incident,” the British designer said.
On the day the New Yorker report was published, Chapman announced that she was leaving Weinstein, ending their 10-year marriage. The couple are in divorce proceedings.
More than 70 women have accused the Hollywood producer of sexual misconduct, including rape. Weinstein has denied engaging in nonconsensual sex.
A representative for Weinstein declined to comment on Chapman’s interview. Chapman’s representative said the designer had nothing to add.
Looking back, Chapman told Vogue, “I have moments of rage, I have moments of confusion, I have moments of disbelief. And I have moments when I just cry for my children.”
Marchesa was once one of the biggest fashion brands on red carpets at the Oscars and other celebrity events, but few celebrities have worn the label in the past eight months. – Reuters, Guardian Service
