AN ACTRESS who accused Hollywood star Gerard Depardieu of allegedly sexually assaulting her has taken her own life, French media has claimed.
Emmanuelle Debever worked in the 1982 film Danton alongside Depardieu, who strongly denied the allegations of rape and sexual assault.
In the movie, she played Louison, the very young wife of Depardieu’s leading man.
Emmanuelle was known as a promising young talent in French cinema in the 1980s but later pulled back from the limelight.
She reportedly committed suicide at age 60, reports French paper Liberation.
In June 2019, the actress posted a short message on her Facebook profile accusing her co-star of allegedly sliding his hand up her skirt during filming.
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Accompanied by an image of them together, the post read: “Holy Monster had quite a few things going on during this shoot…
“Enjoying the privacy of inside a caravan.
“Sliding his big paw under my skirt to feel better to speak…
“Me, not letting myself be made.”
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Depardieu strongly denied the accusations and broke his silence in October with an open letter on French paper Le Figaro.
“I can no longer consent to what I hear, what I have read about myself for several months,” he wrote.
“I finally want to tell you my truth.
“I have never, ever abused a woman.
“Hurting a woman would be like kicking my own mother in the stomach.”
Emmanuelle is understood to have died on December 7, according to French media.
On the same day, a documentary on sexual assault allegations against Depardieu was broadcast on TV channel France 2, Daily Express US reports.
Titled Gerard Depardieu: The Fall of the Ogre, the doc allegedly covered a range of other claims made against the 74-year-old.
Depardieu is the subject of several sex assault charges, all of which he vigorously rejects.
French actress Charlotte Arnould had openly accused the actor, a family friend, of raping her twice in 2018 when she was 22 and anorexic, MailOnline reported.
She stated that she weighed around 81lbs at the time.
In December 2020, he was placed under formal investigation but was not jailed.
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This April, French investigative website Mediapart published a report accusing him of molesting 13 more women between 2004 and 2022.
One of them, actress Helene Darras, filed a sexual assault complaint against Depardieu in September, citing an incident during a film production in 2007.
Contact the Samaritans
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, contact The Samaritans on 116 123.
They are available for free at anytime.
Or email https://www.samaritans.org/
