GWYNETH’S SUMMIT FOR VICTIMS OF WEINSTEIN

Meeting gave Brit courage to speak out

A BRITISH victim of Harvey Weinstein found the strength to speak out after a summit at Gwyneth Paltrow’s mansion.

she twice tried to take her own life. Stay-athome mum Rowena, who is originally from Hertfordshire but relocated to California, was so inspired by hearing the stories of the other women at actress Gwyneth’s home she decided to break the NDA and go public. The meeting of 12 people was organised by journalists Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey in their research for their book, She Said, on how they broke the Weinstein story. Laura Madden, 49, a single mum from Swansea who says she was attacked by Weinstein in 1992 in Dublin, also attended the meeting. Speaking for the first time since Weinstein was this week convicted in the US of rape and sexual assault, Laura said: “The enormity of it is only starting to seep in.” Weinstein, 67, will be sentenced on March 11. British police are also investigating claims against him. Gwyneth, 47, says she was sexually harassed by him when she was 22.

Rowena Chiu, 45, was among sex abuse survivors who met at the Los Angeles home in January last year to discuss their ordeals.

She was the only victim who had not spoken publicly about being attacked.

Rowena said: “It was a unique opportunity to be in a room with other survivors. It was an emotional and transforming experience.”

She was a 24-year-old assistant at the London office of movie boss Weinstein’s firm Miramax when he allegedly tried to rape her while she accompanied him at the Venice Film Festival in 1998.

Rowena was then pressured into signing a non-disclosure agreement that stopped her telling anyone what happened. She did not even tell close family.

Her agony pushed her to the brink, and Weinstein during

court case. Right, Rowena

HOLLYWOOD Gwyneth held the meeting at her home in LA ABUSE