LOS ANGELES • The estranged wife of Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, British fashion designer Georgina Chapman, on Thursday broke her silence on accusations of sexual misconduct against him, saying they sickened her.
Chapman, 42, told Vogue magazine in her first interview since the scandal broke last October: "There was a part of me that was terribly naive - clearly, so naive. I had what I thought was a very happy marriage. I loved my life."
The co-founder of fashion label Marchesa has a son and a daughter with Weinstein. She left the 10-year marriage soon after the scandal broke and the couple are divorcing.
"I lost 10 pounds (4.5kg) in five days. I couldn't keep food down," she said. "My head was spinning. And it was difficult because the first article was about a time long before I'd met him, so there was a minute when I couldn't make an informed decision. And then the stories expanded and I realised that this wasn't an isolated incident."
More than 70 women have accused the producer of sexual misconduct, including rape. Weinstein, 66, has denied engaging in nonconsensual sex. A representative for Weinstein declined to comment on Chapman's interview.
Marchesa cancelled its planned February runway show at New York Fashion Week and there has been sniping that the label, which gained prominence dressing stars who appeared in Weinstein's movies, might not survive.
But on Monday, actress Scarlett Johansson wore a Marchesa gown to the Met Gala, the most highprofile celebrity fashion event of the year.
Chapman said she had loyal supporters. "A lot of people reached out and said, 'Let me wear something,'" she said.
While she told Vogue she did not consider herself a victim, she broke down when talking about her children.
"What are their lives going to be?" she said. "It's like, they love their dad. They love him. I just can't bear it for them."
The magazine said the designer had bonded with Ms Huma Abedin, former United States presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's long-time aide, whose husband Anthony Weiner is a convicted sex offender.
REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
