They said/We said: Linda Evangelista’s asking for $46,000 a month in child support
Canadian-born supermodel Linda Evangelista once said she’d never wake up for less than $10,000 a day. Now, she’s asking for $46,000 a month—in child support. The father of Evangelista’s four-year-old son, Augustin, is François-Henri Pinault, the CEO of the luxury conglomerate PPR, which owns Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, and Bottega Veneta. His family is worth an estimated $11.5 billion, while Evangelista is worth about $8 million.
How can Evangelista justify demanding such a large sum? While Pinault and his wife, Salma Hayek, have a daughter, Valentina, on whom Pinault spends about $50,000 a month for a $12-million estate held in trust in her name, he hasn’t paid Evangelista any support for Augustin.
Each year, $80,000 of Evangelista’s child support would go towards 24-hour nannies and $175,000 would go towards former police-detective drivers. New York Support Magistrate Matthew Troy was sympathetic to both the nanny and driver costs, but immediately nixed the $7,500 Evangelista was seeking for monthly vacation expenses.
Now, we wait for the verdict. Will Evangelista win as Pinault fights to keep as much of his fortune as possible? Either way, it looks like it’s going to cost the fashionable CEO a pretty penny.
WHAT THEY SAID…
Linda Evangelista: “On days when I do not work, I am working on my image. I have to hit the gym. I have beauty appointments. I have to work toward my next job and maintaining my image, just like an athlete. When I work, it can be a 16-hour day.” [Vogue UK]
Evangelista’s lawyer, William Beslow: “[Pinault]‘s just been sitting back, paying zero.” [Fashionologie]
Support Magistrate Matthew Troy: “That would probably be the largest support order in the history of the Family Court. These are the extraordinary expenses that may be a part of the child’s life. And if there is a trial [in the support case] with a lot of publicity, there will probably be a need for two detectives to drive this kid around.” [NY Post]
Pinault’s lawyer, David Aronson: “She testified that she wants to have a 24-hour nanny because she does not want to be alone with the child. Miss Evangelista, you should understand, has a worth of more than $8 million, and she earned, last year, $1.8 million.” [NY Post]
WHAT WE SAID…
Sarah Casselman, senior fashion news editor: “What do you expect from a former supermodel who said she wouldn’t get out of bed for less than $10,000 a day?”
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