Harvey Weinstein's wife Georgina Chapman breaks silence over sexual harassment allegations

Fashion designer says she was 'humiliated and so broken' by reports about her 

Emily Shugerman
New York
Thursday 10 May 2018 19:24 BST
Comments
Harvey Weinstein's former assistant explains what working for him was like

Georgina Chapman, the estranged wife of disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, has spoken out for the first time since her husband was accused of sexually harassing dozens of women.

The prominent fashion designer who was married to Weinstein for 10-years has stayed silent in the six months since allegations about her husband's alleged misconduct began to surface.

She said they had left her “humiliated and so broken".

She told Vogue magazine that she never suspected her husband was capable of any of the behaviour which he has been accused of.

“There was a part of me that was terribly naive – clearly, so naive,” she said, adding that the man she first fell in love with was “charismatic,” smart” and “charitable”.

She said “I have moments of rage, I have moments of confusion, I have moments of disbelief!” she added. “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?”

Chapman has two children with Weinstein: India, seven, and five-year-old Dashiell.

Rose McGowan: 'everybody knew' in Hollywood of Harvey Weinstein allegations

Vogue's editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour, said in her editor's letter that she had known Chapman since 2004 and was "convinced" the designer was unaware of Mr Weinstein's alleged misdeeds.

"Blaming her for any of it, as too many have in our gladiatorial digital age, is wrong," Wintour wrote. "I believe that one should not hold a person responsible for the actions of his or her partner."

Chapman announced she was leaving her husband on 10 October – five days after The New York Times published its first article about her husband's alleged behaviour.

Weinstein was subsequently fired from the board of his company and expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The producer is now under criminal investigation in New York, London, and Los Angeles. He has denied all allegations of sexual assault.

In the intervening months, Chapman has been seeing a therapist and selling off the family’s homes. She said she plans to move with her children to a farm in upstate New York, where her daughter can ride horses.

The allegations have also affected her business – the high-end fashion line, Marchesa, which she runs with longtime friend Keren Craig. Some stars have claimed that Weinstein bullied them into wearing his wife’s dresses.

In light of the allegations, Chapman and Ms Craig cancelled Marchesa’s autumn 2018 runway show and did not offer any clothes for awards season.

But Chapman said she does not want people to feel sorry for her.

“I don’t want to be viewed as a victim, because I don’t think I am,” she said. “I am a woman in a sh*t situation, but it’s not unique.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in