Uma Thurman’s ex says she’s mentally ill as he battles for more time with daughter
UMA Thurman’s former fiance has claimed the actress is mentally ill in a bitter custody battle over their four-year-old daughter.
London-based financier Arpad Busson said the actress had a ‘serious mental illness’ and takes a cocktail of prescription drugs after going to court to win more parental rights.
Mr Busson, 53, who has two sons with former partner Elle Macpherson, 52, also objected to her choice of school for their daughter Luna – which costs up to £34,000 a year.
But Miss Thurman hit back claiming he was an irresponsible father who abandoned Luna during visits.
The French billionaire had a rocky relationship with Miss Thurman, 46, whom he started dating in 2007.
They were twice engaged but never married. After their breakup in 2014, Mr Busson, who runs Swiss investment company Gottex Fund Management Holdings, took her to court demanding more time with Luna. They reached a private set- tlement in 2015 but the conflict has continued.
In court, Mr Busson’s lawyer suggested that Miss Thurman suffered from mood swings due to prescription pills. Miss Thurman has been taking medication for depression, anxiety and insomnia, Manhattan Supreme Court heard on Friday.
Psychologist Sara Weiss said she had ‘ some attention- deficit/ hyperactivity disorder’, as well as a ‘mild learning disability’ but dismissed the notion that she suffered from a personality disorder, reports said.
The Kill Bill actress’s lawyer said Luna was once sent to the Bahamas to be with her father, who then left the island to see a Rolling Stones concert in Cuba with his son.
Meanwhile Mr Busson’s legal team claimed he was not happy with the choice of Luna’s nursery.
Saint Ann’s School in Brooklyn charges annual fees of up to £34,000. But the financier’s lawyers said it classes ‘were cluttered, the atmosphere was depressing, the kids looked dirty and dishevelled’.
Mr Busson is demanding ten consecutive days of contact with Luna per month, claiming it is difficult for him to travel after an infection saw him lose part of his lung.
The hearing is set to last a week.