Blake Lively's gushing post to her personal trainer who Justin Baldoni allegedly 'fat-shamed' her to
Blake Lively penned a gushing post to her personal trainer Don Saladino - who Justin Baldoni allegedly 'fat-shamed' her to.
The Gossip Girl alum, 37 - who recently assembled a group of activists to accuse Baldoni of 'abandoning' the MeToo message - joined the fitness coach to plug her brand Blake Brown Beauty.
It comes amid her ongoing legal drama with Baldoni - and only days after it was revealed that she dropped claims that her It Ends With Us co-star and director had caused her emotional distress.
Lively reposted a reel that was originally shared to Saladino's Instagram page as he tried to guess which Hair and Body Mist that her husband Ryan Reynolds wears.
She then added the message: '@donsaladino I love you buddy. Despite your inability to identify any notes in our new @blakebrownbeauty Hair & Body Mist.
'You've kept me strong and confident in my body for the past 15 years. Through 4 pregnancies and post partum. Action movies. Major life events. Daily life. You are steady and kind and are made of rock solid integrity.'
Blake concluded with, 'I'm so proud to have you and Mel in my life... Get you a best buddy who knows your husband's smell.'
The video was also uploaded to Don's main Instagram page and in the caption, the personal trainer wrote how 'proud' he is of the actress.
'Blake I'm so proud of you,' he began. 'The Blake Brown line is absolutely incredible. I hope that everyone tries it. Mel and I love you.'
Lively's fitness coach was notably dragged into her lawsuit with Justin when she claimed that Baldoni had 'fat-shamed' her to Saladino by asking him about her weight amidst filming It Ends With Us.
Back in February 2023, Justin was introduced to the fitness coach by Blake as he prepared for a leading role in the adaptation of Colleen Hoover's novel.
According to Baldoni, he was going to get advice from Saladino - such as 'nutrition and exercise' - due to his back injury.
Justin signed up for the personal trainer's meal delivery service but also asked advice when it came to training to help him prepare for a scene where he needed to lift Lively.
At one point in the conversation, the director had asked Don about the actress's weight - which he claimed had been in 'good faith' and also a 'reasonable question' to ask a fitness coach.
Blake concluded with, 'I'm so proud to have you and Mel in my life... Get you a best buddy who knows your husband's smell'
'Blake I'm so proud of you,' he began. 'The Blake Brown line is absolutely incredible. I hope that everyone tries it. Mel and I love you'
Lively's fitness coach was notably dragged into her lawsuit with Justin when she claimed that Baldoni had 'fat-shamed' her to Saladino by asking him about her weight amidst filming It Ends With Us
However the following day, Baldoni claimed that he was asked over to Blake's home where he was confronted by her husband Ryan Reynolds.
The actor accused Justin of fat-shaming his wife and Baldoni also alleged that Reynolds had screamed: 'How dare you f*****g ask about my wife's weight? What's wrong with you?'
It was alleged that Ryan requested that the lift scene be taken out of the movie as well.
Earlier this year amid the ongoing lawsuit, Saladino edited a post from last year and voiced his support for Lively.
He wrote: 'To be clear – Justin Baldoni is not my client. I created a complimentary program for him as a favor to a client. I have never trained him virtually or in person.
'I never met him in person. We communicated via calls & text from January to March 2023. I could not accommodate his schedule, and found him a coach. After an uncomfortable conversation, communication ended.'
Don added, 'Not only is Blake my client, she is also my very dear friend. She has treated me with unmatched kindness for over 15 years. Fair weather friends are not friends.
'We love you B. You are always lifting up others. It's why Mel & I love you so much. You have always been there for me. You have always had my back. B, I hope you feel the same.'
Earlier this week, a new development was made amid the lawsuit as Blake dropped her claim that Baldoni intentionally caused her emotional distress, after his legal team demanded to see medical proof.
A new court filing, exclusively obtained by DailyMail.com, shows the embattled actress has also withdrawn a second claim of negligent infliction of emotional distress and try to avoid having to share her health records with Justin's legal team.
But there was a sting in the tale for Baldoni – who now has two fewer claims to defend himself from – after the actress demanded to drop the claims without prejudice, meaning they could be refiled.
The attempt has prompted a new round of legal letters, with Baldoni's team angrily insisting the mom-of-four is trying 'to have it both ways' and demanding that she comply with their 'reasonable' request to see her medical documents.
An insider told DailyMail.com that Lively's lawyers had hoped to quietly ditch the emotional distress elements of the lawsuit to dodge having her records scrutinized.
Lively had claimed that the emotional distress allegedly inflicted on her by Baldoni had 'severely impacted her physical, psychological and emotional wellbeing' – all of which could show up in her health records if true.
Lively's team has responded to DailyMail.com's request for comment: 'Once again this is a routine part of the litigation process that is being used as a press stunt.
'We are doing what trial lawyers do: preparing our case for trial by streamlining and focusing it; they are doing what they do: desperately seeking another tired round of tabloid coverage.
'Ms. Lively continues to allege emotional distress, as part of numerous other claims in her lawsuit, such as sexual harassment and retaliation, and massive additional compensatory damages on all of her claims.'
Although the actress has now dropped the emotional distress claims, Baldoni will still have to defend himself over her other claims which include sexual harassment and the orchestration of a smear campaign against her.
Justin is also pursuing a $400m countersuit of his own that also claims defamation and accuses the glamorous blonde of damaging his reputation and career.
The withdrawal is the latest twist in a tsunami of legal developments that in recent weeks has seen the warring pair battle it out over his attempt to subpoena her one-time bestie, Taylor Swift.
The Grammy winner was dragged into the saga in January due to a now-notorious claim by Baldoni that Lively referred to the megastar and husband Ryan as 'my dragons' and threatened to unleash them upon him if he refused to go along with her changes to a scene.
According to a legal letter sent along with the subpoena, Lively allegedly threatened to leak a decade's worth of text messages if Swift failed to issue a statement in support of her.
Lively's team quickly hit back and denied the claims, and also demanded the subpoena be withdrawn – a request later granted by Judge Lewis Liman.
Subpoenas against Lively and Reynolds were upheld and the actress is facing a deposition, although that too is the subject of wrangling due to her reluctance to be grilled by Baldoni's lawyers.
The dropping of the emotional distress claims is yet another legal setback for the actress, who has been the subject of a deluge of negative headlines for months and has seen her friendship with Swift publicly deteriorate.
She has also faced scrutiny over some of her team's legal maneuvers, among them a shell lawsuit filed in October that was used as the basis to subpoena publicist Stephanie Jones for a phone used by her former employee Jennifer Abel.
DailyMail.com has also revealed that Baldoni has added a powerful female litigator to his legal counsel who could make a 'meaningful difference' to his acrimonious battle with Lively, according to insiders – and she has an unlikely connection to Taylor Swift.
Ellyn S. Garofalo, who previously worked with Venable LLP – the law firm used by Swift – has joined Baldoni's side as part of the Wayfarer legal team in a move that has prompted fans to question the singer's involvement in the ongoing war.
Garofalo, who worked at Venable LLP from 2018 until 2021, reportedly joined Baldoni's team 'after Venable was able to get the Taylor subpoena tossed.'
'For Ellyn to join the counsel is huge,' an insider exclusively told the Daily Mail.
According to her biography, Garofalo is a seasoned trial attorney with over three decades of courtroom experience.
Her focus is on 'civil, criminal, and regulatory matters, including SEC enforcement actions,' and she has previously worked on high-profile cases involving Anna Nicole Smith and Alyssa Milano.
'Baldoni's team is thrilled because of her track record in the courtroom,' the insider said of the Pepperdine Law School grad.
'She not only brings exceptional legal expertise but also fulfils their desire to include a prominent female litigator.'
News of her involvement comes days after an unnamed insider in Swift's inner circle allegedly provided documented evidence to Baldoni's lead attorney Bryan Freedman detailing how Lively's attorneys had 'threatened to leak' the actress's private exchanges with Swift, in a failed attempt to coerce the singer into publicly siding with her against Baldoni.
The Daily Mail exclusively revealed that the 'leaker' was none other than Scott Swift - the singer's 73-year-old father.
'Garofalo was compelled to join the case after reviewing its circumstances, feeling strongly that an injustice was unfolding and that her participation could make a meaningful difference,' our source said.
The legal dispute began when Lively sued Baldoni for sexual harassment. Baldoni has countersued for defamation. Both parties have denied all the allegations against them. Their trial is scheduled for March 2026.
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