New Book Unveils Gwyneth Paltrow’s Conflict with Carolyn Bessette (Exclusive)
During the mid-90s, Gwyneth Paltrow and an unmarried Carolyn Bessette were both stunning, affluent, trendy young women from the NYC area who made headlines nationally—but they were certainly not friends.
In Gwyneth: The Biography, author Amy Odell shares that the two It Girls had a professional link through Calvin Klein, where the future Mrs. Kennedy worked as a publicist while Paltrow was one of the brand’s celebrity clients.
As an early exclusive excerpt in Us Weekly reveals, Paltrow “irritated” Bessette:
Gwyneth mentioned she had set up an appointment at Calvin Klein, where she had become a frequent visitor. One of the publicists on the brand’s small team who assisted Gwyneth was Carolyn Bessette (later Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy). According to someone familiar with her views, Bessette found Gwyneth irritating. When Gwyneth appeared in the tabloids, Bessette, who regarded her as “little miss perfect,” would make snide remarks about her.
Bessette married John F. Kennedy Jr. in 1996, and like Paltrow, frequently appeared in newspaper headlines; the adored couple tragically lost their lives in a plane crash in 1999. More than 25 years later, Bessette-Kennedy and her husband continue to captivate public interest and speculation regarding their enigmatic lives together, inspiring the upcoming limited TV series American Love Story from Ryan Murphy. Early images of actress Sarah Pidgeon portraying Bessette-Kennedy sparked significant online criticism, particularly regarding Pidgeon’s styling and hair color.
With or without Bessette’s reluctant assistance, Paltrow was eagerly supported and styled by Calvin Klein from the onset of her career; he hosted events in her honor and even lent her his helicopter, while she occupied front-row seats at his fashion showcases globally. Paltrow wished to wear the brand in her 1998 film Sliding Doors, but its pricey, high-end line was often “too glamorous” for her role as a British woman employed at a sandwich shop, per Odell.
Conscious coupling! Over the years, Gwyneth Paltrow has experienced her share of high-profile romances with A-listers including Ben Affleck, Brad Pitt, Chris Martin, and others. The Shakespeare in Love star began her relationship with Pitt in 1994 after meeting him on the set of Se7en. The couple got engaged in December 1996, only […]
Based on Odell’s in-depth research and over 200 interviews, Gwyneth: The Biography unveils new insights into the issues affecting Paltrow’s most notable relationships, both romantic and platonic: the breakdown of her three-year relationship with Ben Affleck, despite their “physical chemistry,” her friendship’s “breaking point” with Madonna, a conflict with former friend Winona Ryder over the Oscar-winning role in Shakespeare in Love, and more.
What’s Paltrow’s take on this revealing biography? The 52-year-old mogul “isn’t too bothered,” an insider informed Us exclusively, noting she’s “been in the Hollywood game for a long time and has a thick skin. This book isn’t a big deal for her.” Unlike Odell’s previous A-list subject—none other than Anna Wintour, for her 2022 bestseller Anna: The Biography—Paltrow “did not participate” in the writing process, the insider added.
Gwyneth: The Biography is scheduled for release on July 29 and is available for pre-order now.
