Linda Evangelista Demands $46,000 Child Support from Billionaire Baby Daddy
Supermodel Linda Evangelista demanded child support from her billionaire ex-boyfriend when the old couple met at court yesterday.
The supermodel had a child with billionaire François-Henri Pinault, who is now the husband of Hollywood actress Salma Hayek. Linda filed a case against the business tycoon and demanded a $46,000 a month child support.
Upon taking the witness stand, Pinault admitted that he left the model when he told her that she was pregnant in 2006. He said that Linda may have intentionally got herself pregnant and he had no part of the decision-making. Thus, he decided to put an end on the relationship.
Pinault explained that they were dating for about four months when Evangelista got pregnant, and did not know the model very much. Pinault also added that he tried convincing Linda to terminate the pregnancy but she has decided to keep the baby.
The Canadian supermodel, on the other hand, explained in one of her interviews that the child support are for the child's nanny that costs $7,000 a month, armed drivers that costs as much as $16,000 a month and other needs.
Pinault criticized his ex-girlfriend for her outlandish demands and claimed that the money she is asking for is for her own needs and not the child's.
Linda answered this by saying that she just wanted to continue the lifestyle that Augie deserved. Moreover, she has to protect him as the model worked 16 hours a day and when she is not working, she has to improve her image like hitting the gym and beauty appointments until her next job.
François-Henri Pinault is the chief executive officer of PPR, the conglomerate that owns Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci and Bottega Veneta. He has an annual income of $11.5 billion from the family estate. He started dating Hayek while Linda is pregnant with his child.
Linda Evangelista: Up-Close
Linda was at the top of her career being one of the most popular and highest paid models. She holds the record of multiple appearances in Vogue Italia and was featured on more than 600 magazine covers. She started modeling at the young age of 12 when an agent scouted her.
Augustin James is said to be the son of the French billionaire and the only child of the model who was born in October 2006.
Part of Linda's decision to keep the baby is her past experience when she gave birth to a stillborn baby fathered by French football player Fabien Barthez. After the unfortunate incident, the couple broke up and Linda took a break of several years from modeling in order to overcome her loneliness.
When the French billionaire denied participation in the pregnancy, she decided that she will keep the baby and raise the child on her own. However, once the court approved Linda's demands, this would become the highest paid childcare support by a celebrity.
Linda is an inspiration to many models out there and is considered as one of the most successful models in history.