English fashion designer Georgina Chapman has spoken publicly about her estranged husband Harvey Weinstein for the first time since the scandal broke seven months ago.
Chapman married Weinstein in 2007 and announced her separation from the disgraced film producer in October 2017, following allegations of rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment by more than 90 women.
In her first interview addressing the scandal that precipitated the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, published by Vogue yesterday (May 11), Chapman responded to a question about whether she’d been suspicious of Weinstein’s behaviour, saying: “Absolutely not.”
Noting that he travelled a lot with work, she said: “I’ve never been one of those people who obsesses about where someone is… I had what I thought was a very happy marriage. I loved my life.”
She added: “I don’t want to be viewed as a victim because I don’t think I am. I am a woman in a shit situation, but it’s not unique.”
When she found out about the claims, the Marchesa designer said: “I lost ten pounds in five days. I couldn’t keep food down.”
She said that it took “about two days” to absorb the information, explaining: “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. And I knew that I needed to step away and take the kids out of here.”
Describing the months after the scandal broke, she continued: “I was so humiliated and so broken that I didn’t think it was respectful to go out… It’s still so very, very raw. I was walking up the stairs the other day and I stopped; it was like all the air had been punched out of my lungs. 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. What are their lives going to be? What are people going to say to them? It’s like, they love their dad. They love him. I just can’t bear it for them.”
Jay-Z and Eminem both recently filed lawsuits against The Weinstein Company. According to a report by Deadline, the two rappers are owed $800,000 plus rights for several past projects. Eminem says he is owed $352,000 by The Weinstein Company for the use of three of his songs in the 2015 film Southpaw. ‘Phenomenal,’ ‘Phenomenal 2’ and ‘Kings Never Die’ all feature on the soundtrack of the Jake Gyllenhaal-starring boxing film. The Weinstein Company have reportedly paid Eminem $48,000 so far. Jay-Z says he is owed at least $480,000 by TWC, relating to the documentary series TIME: The Kalief Browder Story and the upcoming series Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story.
- For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.