Latest news with #WeMightJustMakeItAfterAll:MyBestFriendshipWith
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Kate Spade and husband 'tried to work things out' before her suicide
Kate Spade's close friend has said the late fashion designer and her husband, Andy, had been attempting to work through their differences before her death A friend of Kate Spade has said the fashion designer and her widower attempted to work through their issues. Fashion designer Kate tragically died aged 55 in June 2018. A housekeeper found the designer dead at her apartment in Manhattan, New York. Local police found a note which was addressed to Kate's daughter following her death, which was ruled to be suicide. Now, a friend of the late icon has claimed that Kate and her husband Andy had been attempting to work through their differences in the lead-up to her death. Although they hadn't been legally separated, Kate and Andy had been living apart for ten months before she sadly died. Elyce Arons, a friend of the fashion designer, has now shed light on Kate's final few months. In her upcoming memoir, she said: "They were trying to work things out – and they were always in each other's lives every day." In the excerpt of We Might Just Make It After All: My Best Friendship With Kate Spade, Arons went on to add: "They loved each other." Kate and Andy were married for 24 years and welcomed daughter Frances Beatrice Valentine Spade, now 20, in 2005. But Arons has also claimed that the late fashion mogul was extremely private but often opened up to her about her struggles. Following Kate's death, Andy, who maintains a low public profile, issued a rare statement explaining that they had never discussed divorcing one another. He said: "We were not legally separated, and never even discussed divorce. We were best friends trying to work through our problems in the best way we knew how. "We were together for 35 years, we loved each other very much and simply needed a break." He also shed light on Kate's mental health, explaining she had suffered from depression and anxiety for "many years." He commented: "She was actively seeking help and working closely with doctors to treat her disease, one that takes far too many lives. We were in touch with her the night before and she sounded happy. "There was no indication and no warning that she would do this. It was a complete shock. And it clearly wasn't her. There were personal demons she was battling." Arons also claimed that while relatives of Kate had believed she had been suffering from bipolar disorder, this is something "Katy" had never discussed. In the abstract published by People Magazine, Arons said: "She never shared with me that she was diagnosed with anything. I think it's stigma-related. "And because she was private, she probably felt that even more so. She would just use the word sad." But while Kate's sister, Reta Saffo, had told the media she believed her sister had been living with bipolar disorder but other relatives, who have kept out of the spotlight, have disputed this. Speaking to NBC News, a source claimed that the family had been "disgusted and saddened" by Reta's comments. Meanwhile, her brother, Earl Brosnahan, stated that Kate was the only person in their family to still speak to Reta, but only "sporadically". He branded the comments "grossly inaccurate." Now, Arons, who co-founded the accessories and clothing line, Frances Valentine, alongside Kate, has announced a new tote bag in support of the Hope for Depression Research Foundation. She said: "I love the organisation because they are working on research and getting a diagnosis. "I think bringing it to light is helpful instead of hiding it." If you're struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email jo@ or visit their site to find your local branch.
New York Post
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Kate Spade was ‘trying to work things out' with husband Andy before suicide, best friend reveals
Kate Spade's best friend has opened up about the beloved fashion designer seven years after her shocking suicide. In her upcoming memoir, 'We Might Just Make It After All: My Best Friendship With Kate Spade,' Elyce Arons claims that Kate and her husband, Andy Spade, were 'trying to work things out' when she took her own life in her Manhattan apartment in 2018. 'They were trying to work things out – and they were always in each other's lives every day,' Arons, 62, wrote in a preview of the new book obtained by People on Tuesday. 'They loved each other.' Advertisement 7 Kate Spade's best friend, Elyce Arons, has claimed that the fashion designer and her husband, Andy Spade, were 'trying to work things out' when she tragically took her own life seven years ago. Monica Schipper 7 Spade took her own life on June 5, 2018, at the age of 55. Getty Images Kate and Andy married in 1994. They welcomed their daughter, Frances Beatrix Spade, now 20, in 2005. Advertisement However, in a statement released shortly after his wife's death on June 5, 2018, at the age of 55, Andy revealed that he and Kate had been living apart for 10 months before her tragic suicide. 'We were not legally separated, and never even discussed divorce,' he shared at the time. 'We were best friends trying to work through our problems in the best way we knew how.' 7 Andy Spade revealed that he and Kate were separated for 10 months before her shocking suicide. James Messerschmidt 'We were together for 35 years,' Andy, 63, added. 'We loved each other very much and simply needed a break.' Advertisement He also revealed that the late fashion designer 'suffered from depression and anxiety for many years' before her passing and was 'actively seeking help' at the time of her death. 'She was actively seeking help and working closely with doctors to treat her disease, one that takes far too many lives,' he continued seven years ago. 'We were in touch with her the night before and she sounded happy.' 7 'They loved each other,' Elyce Arons writes in her new memoir regarding Kate and Andy Spade. 'There was no indication and no warning that she would do this,' Andy added. 'It was a complete shock and it clearly wasn't her. There were personal demons she was battling.' Advertisement Elsewhere in her new memoir, Arons wrote that Kate was 'such a private person' and 'people didn't really know her' despite the successful Kate Spade New York handbag line she created in the 1990s. 'So many people remember Katy for how she left us, and not about her life,' Arons penned. 'She was such a private person in so many ways – that people didn't really know her.' 7 Kate and Andy Spade welcomed their daughter, Frances Beatrix Spade, now 20, in 2005. rachelbrosnahan/Instagram 'She never shared with me that she was diagnosed with anything. I think it's stigma-related,' Arons continued. 'And because she was private, she probably felt that even more so. She would just use the word sad.' Arons, who co-founded the popular accessories and clothing line Frances Valentine alongside Kate in 2016, has also announced a new special edition tote bag to support the Hope for Depression Research Foundation. 'I love the organization because they are working on research and getting a diagnosis,' she said. 'I think bringing it to light is helpful instead of hiding it.' 7 Kate Spade took her own life by hanging on June 5, 2018, at her 850 Park Avenue apartment in Manhattan. As for how Arons feels seven years after her best friend's passing, she admits that she has 'made peace' with Kate's 'incomprehensible choice.' Advertisement 'All of us who loved her have had to find a way to make peace with her incomprehensible choice,' she wrote toward the end of the book. 'It's not been easy.' 'I've learned to never take the people whom I care about for granted,' she continued. 'As I tell my closest friends: go to your sister or your best girlfriends who's just like a sister to you. Go to her today and hug her so hard that it's like you won't ever let her go.' 7 'So many people remember Katy for how she left us, and not about her life,' Arons writes in her upcoming memoir. AP Advertisement 'We Might Just Make It After All: My Best Friendship With Kate Spade' hits bookshelves on June 17. If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to
