Liberty Ross, the betrayed wife of Rupert Sanders, who was caught cheating with Kristen Stewart, has been seen this week in LA on several occasions, stomping around in very high heels, and not wearing a ring.
Why not?
Why would the loving mother of two children with a philandering pig of a husband have to hide or walk around all mopey in sweat pants feeling bloated and sorry for herself? Oh look, Liberty Ross knows about narratives too. And this is definitely the right narrative to play. It’s a much better narrative than the one that Brandi Glanville (who used to be married to Eddie Cibrian) played. Liberty Ross doesn’t look like a Real Housewife. Liberty Ross is not a peeled and botoxed daughter of Los Angeles spewing bitterness and trailing desperation. Rather, Liberty Ross is power-walking over to her Lawyer’s office like she’s still on the runway. She remains pale and un-tanned so as to suggest that she’s not just lounging around by the pool all day sunning her sorrows away. She is the manifestation of everything that Kristen Stewart isn’t, at least by public assumption - neat, clean, mature, and poised. And...is she using the same team as Katie Holmes? Because Liberty Ross, in addition to the aesthetic, is also leaking information like a f-cking professional.
According to TMZ, while Liberty does indeed have a lawyer on retainer, “her goal is reconciliation”. She and Rupert have been in therapy and they’re working hard to repair their relationship by examining why he stepped out and exploring how they can avoid a repeat situation. Translation: Liberty Ross is gracious and selfless and is putting her family first.
That’s good, isn’t it? Considering that, frankly, Liberty Ross was barely a celebrity before this sh-t started, and didn’t have the resources at her disposal that a Kristen Stewart would have, this is very, very, VERY good. Which is not good at all for Kristen Stewart. When the victim of infidelity is as astute and appealing as Liberty Ross, well, it makes Kristen Stewart’s recovery game plan even more challenging.
Perhaps that’s why she’s committed to stay in hiding.
Gossip Cop was the first to report yesterday that Stewart has dropped out of the upcoming Cali. Variety has confirmed the story. Stewart was to start shooting in a few weeks with Alex Pettyfer. It was to be a provocative role, with Stewart and Pettyfer playing lovers on the run from a snuff film scam. In other words, not exactly wholesome. Right now, given that every description of Stewart begins and ends with skank, tramp, whore, and c-nt, “not wholesome” is not desirable; she obviously isn’t comfortable going straight back to work on a character who doesn’t remotely resemble the pure angel Bella Swan. Especially since On The Road will feature a topless Stewart getting high and groped by two men at the same time. I guess the thinking then is to not compound that image with an artistic follow-up that plays into the assumptions and accusations that have surrounded her since the scandal broke. Having said that, Radar Online’s article yesterday about Stewart pulling out of the London premiere of On The Road because of embarrassment is totally full of sh-t, as usual. Stewart was never confirmed to attend that event to begin with. And also, Radar through this entire mess has been so off the mark it’s polluting our enjoyment of Good Gossip.
Stewart’s strategy is clearly, for now anyway, total retreat. The upside is that it demonstrates contrition. She has been shamed, she will continue to be shamed, willingly. She has been chased into her house, condemned to stay there, to serve the length of her sentence, until the public has decided she can crawl out, on her hands and knees, begging to be allowed to stand again. In the meantime she’ll sacrifice her work, she’ll turn away from opportunity in order to focus on being a better person and, most importantly, securing your forgiveness. If only we had held Chris Brown to the same.
The downside is that, well, it’s not exactly on brand. None of what Kristen Stewart has shown us since she and Sanders were caught has been on brand. Where’s the girl who gave the finger and wore chucks on the carpet and wouldn’t be held to anyone else’s expectations but her own? That girl is now cowering. She’s being cowed. Is that the only way to say sorry? Can you be sorry without having to hide? Can you be sorry without having to hand over your soul? Well, I’m not sure that’s an option for her anymore. That’s the problem with a public apology, you see? She apologised to YOU. And ME. I called it self-neutering -- click here if you missed that article -- and in doing so, she handed over control of her own recovery to everyone else. What a stupid, stupid play. Still I am amazed about the stupidity of that play.
