It’s been a tough week for Kristen Stewart. Not only was her breakup with Robert Pattinson rumoured to be amicable, but it was also reported that she had found love with Rupert Sanders, the director of her movie The Twilight Saga and a married man. Now, the 33-year-old actress has found herself in the middle of a major celebrity scandal that has led to some very unusual circumstances.
Here, we’ll analyse the most recent developments regarding Stewart’s romantic life, as well as her public appearances in the wake of the Pattinson scandal.
How Did the Scandal Break?
The origins of this week’s gossip scandal can be traced back to early January, when GQ magazine published a story suggesting that Stewart and her Twilight co-star Kristen [b]Payne[/b] had been having an affair for several months prior to the breakup. They denied the allegations, but the damage was done.
However, that wasn’t the only story that the press had printed about these two star-crossed lovers. Since the beginning of the year, there have been a number of tabloid stories speculating about their split. Most of them revolve around Stewart’s alleged infidelity, which she has denied. But in the last week, things took a very strange turn.
On Tuesday, The New York Times printed a bombshell article suggesting that the breakup was far from amicable and that it was probably caused by a combination of factors – including Stewart’s alleged infidelity and her decision to finally end the toxic relationship. The article was titled: “An Affair That Nearly Destroyed Kristen Stewart and Ended Her Career”.
The following day, Rolling Stone magazine published a story with the headline: “[Stewart’s] affair with director Rupert Sanders ends their 17-year partnership. What it means for her future, and his past”. The story went on to claim that Stewart had begun to explore her sexuality and had even had a threesome with a female friend and Sanders.
On Wednesday, USA Today followed suit with an article titled: “Why Kristen Stewart’s Romance With Rupert Sanders Is a Mistake – and What She Should Do Instead”. The story quoted an unidentified “insider” as saying that Stewart and Sanders’ affair “was a major mistake. She never should have gotten involved with him, much less started seeing him after he had already started working on her movie”.
On Thursday, Entertainment Tonight published an interview with an alleged accomplice of Stewart’s, who claimed that the actress had been unfaithful to Pattinson. In response, Stewart’s team issued a statement denying the allegations, while also accusing the accomplice of slander. On Friday, it was claimed that Stewart had been spotted cavorting with celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay’s son, Josh, at a restaurant in Beverly Hills.
Over the weekend, the scandal continued to swirl, with more outlandish claims surfacing. On Saturday, it was reported that Stewart’s mother, Joan, had witnessed this alleged affair and had even confronted Sanders about it. When the two had tried to deny the claims, Joan had reportedly said: “Well, I’m not going to be denied. I know what I saw, and I saw it with my own eyes”.
Then, on Sunday, it was alleged that Stewart had cheated on her former girlfriend Suki Waterhouse with cinematographer Adam Kimmel. The two were allegedly involved in an intimate sexual relationship that lasted for several months before Suki dumped her in favour of Robert Pattinson. On hearing the news, Waterhouse posted an Instagram picture, which was captioned: “No words can express how hurt and betrayed I am by this news”.
All of this comes as a massive shock to the public, especially since the 33-year-old actress had previously denied any wrongdoing. Now that the smoke has cleared, we take a look at how this whole scandal evolved and will assess the impact that it’s had on Stewart’s romantic life and career.
The Rumours About Robert Pattinson And Kristen Stewart
The first indication that something was amiss between Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart came to light in early 2014, when the two were spotted together in London. They were travelling without children and were later pictured at a playground in the city. The tabloid frenzy that followed was unprecedented. Here is a timeline of some of the most significant events:
January 6, 2014
The first signs of trouble between Pattinson and Stewart emerged when they were spotted together in London.
The actor, who was already dating model Suki Waterhouse at the time, flew to England to spend some quality time with Stewart. A representative for the couple said at the time that they had decided to take a break from their busy schedules to de-stress.
January 7, 2014
Pattinson and Stewart were photographed on the same day in London. The photos, which were taken by photographer Annie Leibovitz, were published on the cover of Vogue magazine. The two were dressed casually and were eating pizza. One of the best things you can say about the pictures is that they don’t focus too much on the scandal. The headlines would have made the cover of any other magazine, but they were more interested in telling the story of two star-crossed lovers who were seemingly destined to be together.
January 8, 2014
Pattinson and Stewart were interviewed about their separation by British Vogue magazine. In the interview, they made some very cryptic comments about their relationship. For instance, they stated that they had “decided to take a break and see where [they] stand at the end of [their] time apart”. They also acknowledged that they weren’t immune to cheating and said that they were “completely aware of [their] limits”.
January 23, 2014
It was announced that the two were set to make a movie together called The Highly Personal Matter Of M.M.S.. While the project had been in the works for several months, the news that it would be their first collaboration finally confirmed that trouble was brewing between them. In an interview with Vogue magazine, Stewart admitted that she and Pattinson had not yet gotten back together but said that they were grateful to the film for giving them a chance to “figure things out”. She went on to explain:
“The fact that we’re even talking about this means we haven’t given up on each other. I’m still hopeful that we’ll be able to work things out and get back together. We’re just taking things slowly and consciously trying to be fair to ourselves and not rush into anything…[The movie’s] about two people facing their biggest fears and coming out the other side stronger. It’s a very personal story that both of us can relate to in some way.”
February 12, 2014
During an interview with Metro newspaper regarding the upcoming movie, Stewart finally admitted that there was a chance that she and Pattinson had called off their engagement: “We had broken up and gotten back together twice before, and we always seem to find a way back to each other. We’ll see what happens this time. The only difference is that this time, we’re not going to do anything stupid”. The representative went on to explain that she hoped that the movie would help to heal their relationship. She added: “This is a time for both of us to grow up and figure out what we want out of life. I think that making a movie together is the perfect way to do that”.
March 3, 2015
Stewart and Waterhouse were photographed leaving a restaurant in Beverly Hills after a night out. The two were holding hands as they left the establishment, looking very much in love. It was the first time that the media had seen the actress and the model together since their breakup. The pictures were published in several news websites, where they were greeted with an onslaught of speculation about what was going on behind the scenes.
March 6, 2015
Pattinson was photographed arriving at the Venice International Film Festival, where Stewart was attending the premiere of her movie Beyond The Lights with producer Judd Apatow. The photos, which were taken by photographer Annie Leibovitz, showed Apatow and Stewart greeting Pattinson at the entrance of the theatre. The two looked more like a couple than ever as they laughed and held hands. Many fans were over the moon to see the pair of them together again.