Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Weinstein’s wife walks over scandal
HARVEY Weinstein’s British wife has announced she is leaving him as the scandal surrounding the disgraced Hollywood producer deepened.
In a statement to a magazine, fashion designer Georgina Chapman described her husband’s behaviour as “unforgivable”.
The news came just hours after two of Hollywood’s biggest movie stars, Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow, both claimed they’d been sexually harassed by Weinstein — the latest in a string of women to make allegations against him.
Meanwhile Barack and Michelle Obama became the latest high-profile figures to condemn the producer, saying they were “disgusted” by the reports.
Ms Chapman said: “My heart breaks for all the women who have suffered tremendous pain because of these unforgivable actions. I have chosen to leave my husband. Caring for my young children is my first priority and I ask the media for privacy at this time.”
Weinstein, 65, and Chapman, 41, a designer for high-end womenswear brand Marchesa, married in 2007 and have two children together, daughter India Pearl, seven, and son Dashiell, four. She is Weinstein’s second wife.
On Tuesday, Paltrow and Jolie joined a growing list of stars accusing the producer of sexual harassment, which has seen him dismissed from the Weinstein Company, which he co-founded. Weinstein has rejected many of the allegations and issued a vehement denial over three allegations of rape which emerged on Tuesday. Speaking to the New York Times, Paltrow claimed Weinstein summoned her to his suite at a Beverly Hills hotel after he had hired her as a lead for 1996 hit Emma. She said he placed his hands on her and suggested they head to the bedroom for massages. She said: “I was a kid, I was signed up, I was petrified,” adding she confided in her thenboyfriend Brad Pitt who confronted Weinstein which led to him threatening her not to tell anyone else.
“I thought he was going to fire me,” Paltrow said.
Pulp Fiction star Rosanna Arquette and French actress Judith Godreche made similar accusations, according to the newspaper, while Jolie said he made unwanted advances on her in a hotel room. Jolie said: “I had a bad experience with Harvey Weinstein in my youth, and, as a result, chose never to work with him again and warn others when they did.”