Michael Costello says he is still waiting for an apology from Chrissy Teigen after bullying claims
Fashion designer Michael Costello has said he is still waiting on an apology from Chrissy Teigen after he accused her of bullying.
In a statement reported by ET Online, Costello has revealed that he is still waiting to hear from the 35-year-old model and TV personality.
“I want to be clear – I do not wish ill on anyone,” he said. “We are all works in progress and we deserve the opportunity to prove that we can do better. But progress takes time.
“We must show through actions that we have changed. After all, actions speak much louder than a 10-minute apology written on notepad,” Costello said in a reference to Teigen’s recent public apology for harassing Courtney Stodden on social media in 2011.
The designer added that he is “not out for revenge” and that he is still “waiting for Chrissy Teigen and anyone who bullied me to reach out to me.”
In her recent apology letter, Teigen said that she is “in the process of privately reaching out to the people I insulted”.
He concluded: “If they truly acknowledge that their actions are wrong, I welcome them with open arms to have a real conversation.”
On Monday (14 June), the Project Runway star took to Instagram to detail what he described as an attempt by Teigen to ruin his career, which left him feeling suicidal.
“I wanted to kill myself and I am still traumatised, depressed, and have thoughts of suicide,” he wrote.
Costello went on to allege that the harassment began after Teigen commented on his Instagram page in 2014, accusing him of racism after seeing what he claims was a fake racist comment doctored by a “former disgruntled employee”.
The designer, who appeared on season eight of Project Runway and Project Runway All-Stars in 2012, added: “When I reached out to Chrissy Teigen to communicate that I was the victim of a vindictive cyber slander, and that everything she thought I was is not who I am, she told me that my career was over and that all my doors will be shut from there on.”
According to Costello, Teigen and her stylist Monica Rose allegedly “threatened people and brands” into not working with him.
In his post, Costello included screenshots of what he claims are messages exchanged with Teigen. In one message, the model allegedly wrote: “Racist people like you deserve to suffer and die. You might as well be dead. Your career is over, just watch.”
In the wake of Costello’s allegations, Leona Lewis has spoken out in defence of Teigen and accused the designer of humiliating her.
The Independent has contacted representatives of Teigen and Costello for comment.
You can find helpful tips on how to start a conversation, or if you are worried about someone else, on the Samaritans website. You can contact the Samaritans helpline by calling 116 123. The helpline is free and open 24 hours a day every day of the year. You can also contact Samaritans by emailing [email protected]. The average response time is 24 hours.
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