Harvey Weinstein's Estranged Wife Breaks Her Silence
NEW YORK (CBSDFW.COM/CNN) - Georgina Chapman, the estranged wife of disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein, has spoken out for the first time since her husband was accused of sexual misconduct by more than 80 women. Weinstein is currently under investigation for alleged sex crimes in New York, Los Angeles and London.
Weinstein has repeatedly denied any allegations of "non-consensual sex."
In an interview with Vogue, Chapman maintained that she had no knowledge of the alleged sexual harassment or assaults, and did not even realize that her husband was unfaithful in their marriage. "That's what makes this so incredibly painful. I had what I thought was a very happy marriage. I loved my life." she said.
Chapman added that she never even suspected Weinstein of cheating. "Never," she told Vogue. "For one thing, he traveled constantly. And I've never been one of those people who obsesses about where someone is."
Even Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour stated in her editor's letter that she is "convinced" that Chapman was unaware of Weinstein's alleged misconduct. "I am firmly convinced that Georgina had no idea about her husband's behavior; blaming her for any of it, as too many have in our gladiatorial digital age, is wrong," Wintour said. "I believe that one should not hold a person responsible for the actions of his or her partner."
"What Georgina should be receiving is our compassion and understanding," Wintour added.
After the news first broke in The New York Times and The New Yorker last fall, Chapman said that her head was "spinning."
"I lost 10 pounds in five days. I couldn't keep food down," Chapman said. "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 realized that this wasn't an isolated incident."
"I knew that I needed to step away and take the kids out of here," Chapman said. She married Weinstein in 2007. They have two young children together. She announced in October that she was leaving her husband.
"I have moments of rage, I have moments of confusion, I have moments of disbelief," Chapman said. "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!"
Chapman is the co-founder of high-end fashion house Marchesa. She has made a point of not attending any public events or being spotted out since October. The scandal also led her to cancel the Marchesa runway show in January. "We didn't feel it was appropriate given the situation," Chapman said. "All the women who have been hurt deserve dignity and respect, so I want to give it the time it deserves. It's a time for mourning, really."
"I was so humiliated and so broken," Chapman added. "I didn't think it was respectful to go out. I thought, who am I to be parading around with all of this going on? 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."
Although she is coming to terms with the end of her marriage, and planning a Weinstein-free future with her children, she wants the world to know that she is not looking for pity. "I don't want to be viewed as a victim," Chapman said. "Because I don't think I am. I am a woman in a sh*t situation."
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