Asia Argento broke down in tears when talking about the death of her boyfriend, Anthony Bourdain, in first interview since his suicide.
Asia Argento broke down in tears when talking about the death of her boyfriend, Anthony Bourdain, in her first interview since he was found dead in his hotel room in France in June.
Bourdain's death was ruled a suicide. Argento and the beloved chef had been dating since 2016.
In an upcoming sit-down with DailyMailTV, the Italian actress admits she was upset at Bourdain following his suicide for "abandoning" her as well as her kids. Argento is a mom to Nicola Giovanna and Anna Lou Castoldi from previous relationships.
Bourdain also had an 11-year-old daughter, Ariane, by his second wife Ottavia Busia.
"The anger kept me alive because otherwise, this desperation has no end," Argento said, wiping away tears. “I was angry [at him], yes, for abandoning me, my kids. But now it’s been replaced just by this loss, this hole, that cannot be filled by anything.”
Last month, Argento was embroiled in her own scandal involving her former The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things co-star, Jimmy Bennett. The 42-year-old actress denied having any type of sexual relationship with Bennett, following The New York Times' report that she paid him off after he accused her of sexual assault. According to legal documents obtained by the newspaper, Bennett's lawyer sent a notice of intent to sue the actress for allegedly sexually assaulting the actor in a California hotel room in 2013 when he was 17 and she was 37. The age of consent in California is 18.
According to The Times, Argento settled the suit and paid Bennett $380,000. Just prior to the settlement, the actress publicly accused producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault in a New Yorker expose that was published last October. Weinstein has denied any allegations of non-consensual sex.
In a statement last month to journalist Yashar Ali, Argento claimed Bourdain paid Bennett off to avoid negative publicity. She also claimed Bennett was undergoing serious financial issues at the time, and that she and Bourdain wanted to "deal compassionately" with his demand for help.
"Anthony was afraid of the possible negative publicity that such person, whom he considered dangerous, could have brought upon us," the statement reads. "We decided to deal compassionately with Bennett's demand for help and give it to him. Anthony personally undertook to help Bennett economically, upon the condition that he would no longer suffer any further intrusions in our life."
Since the report, Argento has been reportedly fired from X Factor Italy. Her close friend, Rose McGowan, also publicly cut ties with her.
Meanwhile, Bourdain's final episodes of his show, Parts Unknown, began airing on CNN on Sunday. Watch the video below for a preview of the bittersweet final season of the Emmy-winning show.
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