While pregnant, the dazzling Salma Hayek lived in fear that her daughter, Valentina Pinault, would be born with Down Syndrome.
This is what husband, billionaire businessman Francois-Henri Pinault, claims is the reason he shunned out supermodel Linda Evangelista, when she told him she was pregnant with his child, The New York Daily news is reporting.
Pinault revealed this court testimony of Hayek’s pain, which until now was private, last week during his child support trial in New York City.
“She was having a very difficult pregnancy,” said Pinault of his Mexican wife. “In fact, we were told the baby had Down syndrome until late May 2007.”
Pinault got Evangelista pregnant while the two were involved in a four-month affair, prior to marrying Hayek.
Fox News Latino previously reported that Pinault claims he and Hayek were on a break when he had his affair with Evangelista. Then things took a turn for the worse.
“I asked Linda to delay the legal recognition process (of son Augustin) until after the birth of Valentina,” Pinault said in court. “It was a very difficult pregnancy. She almost lost the baby.”
Hayek’s hubby also said the supermodel agreed to delaying the recognition, when Evangelista’s lawyer pressed him at during the hearing.
“Were you grateful?” asked William Beslow, Evangelista’s lawyer.
“Yes,” Pinault answered.
Evangelista is asking for Pinault to shed $46,000 a month in child support for their 5-year-old son, Augustin.
Valentina, born Sept. of 2007, was not born with Down Syndrome. Augustin was born a year earlier.
Evangelista’s attorney said in court that Pinault brusquely told her to abort the child when she told him she was pregnant.
Pinault’s team strongly denied the abortion claims and accused the model of purposely getting pregnant for money.
“She told me that if I didn’t want to be involved in raising the kid or stay together and be parents together, she would understand,” Pinault said in court last week.
“I told her that . . . I will take my responsibility.”
Pinault also said he “didn’t offer” to give any financial support to Evangelista during the first few years of Augustin childhood because “she didn’t ask.”
