Linda Evangelista confessed that she was also a victim of the French businessman during her marriage
Amid a wave of abuse allegations against her ex-husband Linda Evangelista He decided to break the silence. The Canadian top model spoke about her relationship with Gerald Marieto whom she was married for five years, and confirmed that, like many other women, she was abused.
In the Apple TV+ documentary “The Super Models,” Evangelista decided to open her heart and reflect on her illustrious runway career, her battle with depression after a cosmetic procedure that didn’t produce the expected results, and her battle with breast cancer remember That led to her having a double mastectomy five years ago. Amidst these confessions, the former model also opened up about her marriage to French businessman Gerald Marie.
The couple, who had 15 years between them, were married between 1987 and 1993, when he was European director of Elite Model Management, a modeling agency where she was one of the most famous faces. “I learned that I was in the wrong relationship,” he said of those years.
Linda Evangelista on the Versace runway in the early 90s in Paris, France – Credits: @Victor VIRGILE
“It’s easier said than leaving an abusive relationship. I understand this concept because I have lived it. If it was to say, ‘I want a divorce, see you…’ but it doesn’t work that way.”she said, recounting the boundaries her ex had when it came to hitting her. “He knew not to touch my face, not to touch anything that makes money,” she revealed, who married at 22 and separated at 27. “He let me end the relationship as long as he kept it.” everything. But I was safe and got my freedom,” he said.
What made her speak after so many years was the ongoing allegations of rape and sexual misconduct that Marie has received since 2020. Seven models – who worked with him in the ’80s and ’90s – testified against him, giving Linda the strength to share her own experiences. “Thanks to the strength of all these women who came forward, God bless them all, they gave me the courage to speak, but their accusations broke my heart,” she said.
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“I would like to see justice served. “I would love if idiots like this would think twice and be afraid, and I would love for women to know that they are not alone,” she added of what she hopes to gain from all this. In an interview he gave to The Guardian in 2020, Evangelista had said that he was unable to help the victims before as he never suspected anything during their relationship. “Listening to them now, and based on my own experiences, I believe they are telling the truth. “It breaks my heart because they are wounds that may never heal and I admire your courage and strength to speak today,” he reiterated.
The accusations
The inappropriate sexual acts Gerald Marie is accused of occurred while he was a manager at the Elite modeling agency in Paris. The businessman was accused of raping more than a dozen models as young as 14 because he believed virgin girls were not photogenic. As a former employee revealed, “he rated them on a point system based on their age and whether they were virgins or not.”
The victims added that the Frenchman drugged them during the abuse and also daily to keep them “thin”. One of the victims who spoke about the nightmare she experienced was American model Carré Sutton, who claimed to have been victimized by her boss in 1985 when she was just 16 years old. In fact, he revealed that several of the attacks took place in the apartment where the runway magnate lived with Evangelista.
In February, the French judiciary closed its investigation into these sex crimes committed in the 1980s and 1990s, saying too much time had passed to prosecute. “The case closed on February 13 due to the statute of limitations for public actions,” the Justice Department said in a statement. Although Marie never spoke and denied all the allegations against her, her lawyer did, saying that her client welcomed the dismissal of the case. “Justice has finally prevailed, despite the scandalous media campaign that Gerald Marie suffered for two years. “With this decision, it is clear that Gerald Marie is and will continue to be innocent,” said attorney Celine Bekerman.