The founder of fashion retailer Net-a-Porter has accused her ex-partner of being a “sex addict” who lived a double life of drug use, prostitutes, and affairs, in a bombshell US lawsuit.
Dame Natalie Massenet says her personal life was shattered in May when Erik Torstensson confessed to being a “liar, drug addict, alcoholic and sex addict”.
The British-American businesswoman, 60, a former chair of the British Fashion Council, is now suing Torstensson over the alleged betrayal, which is said to have lasted most of their 14-year relationship.
She has accused her former partner, the founder of denim brand Frame, of “seducing” her for “social clout”, spending her fortune, and then abandoning her with a child.
Mr Torstensson, 47, has not yet responded to the legal claim, which was first reported by the Mail.
In legal filings, she says he “spent more than $95 million during the course of their relationship on expensive properties, lifestyle expenses, vacations, and more based on Torstensson's promises to repay her in kind”.
“As soon as he had finished spending Massenet's money, he left”, Dame Natalie’s lawyers set out.
She is suing her former partner for alleged breach of contract, fraud and infliction of emotional distress.
“While Massenet is emotionally devastated and in shock caused by Torstensson's outrageous behaviour, this is a case of a return on investment in a man who leveraged Massenet's capital and brand to build wealth, while she bore the majority of the costs”, according to the court papers.
“Massenet is demanding what any investor would – a fair, equitable return on the investments she made, value she created, and costs she carried.”
Dame Natalie has told the Superior Court of Los Angeles that she noticed last year that Mr Torstensson was drinking heavily and disappearing at night.
She says relationship counselling faltered, and Mr Torstensson then said he wanted to end their relationship.
Dame Natalie had a son, Jet, with Torstensson in 2017 through a surrogate, and announced the news on Instagram with the message: "We are grateful to our friends and family for their incredible support and affection."
She has two daughters from a previous marriage to French hedge fund manager Arnaud Massenet which ended in 2011. She was awarded a Damehood in 2016 for her services to the fashion and retail industries.
The fashion entrepreneur now accuses him of living a “secret life for many years”, and says she has evidence of “multiple affairs with several younger women for years”.
She claims Mr Torstensson confessed to his vices, including cocaine use in Los Angeles, London and New York on work trips and texting a woman he was sleeping with during a family trip, saying he was “in hell”.
Mr Torstensson is also accused of using Dame Natalie for access to A-listers such as David and Victoria Beckham, who then signed up to promote Frame.
The lawsuit is set to focus on spending during the relationship, as Dame Natalie claims she was encouraged to indulge in first class travel and luxuries to give the outward appearance for the couple of being “powerful in society”.
Dame Natalie says she was promised an eventual return on her investments as Mr Torstensson’s business grew.
Mr Torstensson has been approached for comment.
