Author: Michael Rothman / Source: ABC News
WATCH Kate Upton talks sexual misconduct allegations and reveals details of incident with Guess co-founder
Actress and model Kate Upton explained in an interview on ABC News’ “Good Morning America” today why she has come forward eight years after alleged incidents of sexual harassment she said she faced when working alongside Guess Inc.
co-founder Paul Marciano as a teenager.“I wanted to prevent that from happening to other girls,” she told “GMA” co-host Robin Roberts.
Upton, 25, also reiterated previous comments, alleging that Marciano fondled her breasts during her first photo shoot for the brand in 2010 and continued to behave inappropriately toward her in professional settings for a few months after.
After meeting with young models and seeing how excited they were to launch their careers, Upton said, she “remembered being in that place” and how her view of the industry changed shortly after her alleged encounters with Marciano.
Marciano has denied the allegations.
Guess, in a statement issued this afternoon, said its board of directors Wednesday created a “special committee comprised of two independent directors to oversee an ongoing investigation into recent allegations of improper conduct by Paul Marciano. Mr. Marciano adamantly denies the allegations.”
“As a leader in the fashion industry, Guess Inc. takes seriously any allegation of sexual harassment,” according to the statement. “The company does not condone such misconduct in any form.
“The company is committed to completing an extensive and impartial investigation into all of the facts.
”Upton also alleged in a recent interview with Time magazine that after she rebuffed his advances several times in 2011, Marciano spread rumors about her, called her a “fat pig” and fired her. She chose not to work with the brand again, the actress said.
“It had a huge emotional impact,” she told “GMA” this morning. “It made me question what I was doing. … How I was putting myself out there to be treated in that way.”
The actress and supermodel said she started to wear baggier clothing and started to blame herself.
“I had to go through this moment, where I was like, ‘This is not my fault,'” she said.
Photographer Yu Tsai, who worked with Upton on her first two of four shoots with Guess, corroborated her allegations to “Good Morning America.” Upton previously told Time…
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