Friends of L’Wren Scott liked to say that she had “the legs of a gazelle and the hide of a rhino”.
However, after the shock of her suicide on Monday night, that simply doesn’t ring true. Following the news of her death, it has come to light that the celebrated designer was battling with relationship issues and financial worries.
Even the designer’s final Instagram posts hint at a deep sense of vulnerability. “Fashion is the armour to survive the reality of life,” she wrote.
That the 49-year-old felt that she needed armour is very revealing, particularly as it appeared she was revelling in both personal and professional success. The former model was in the midst of a stable relationship with Rolling Stones legend Mick Jagger. She had just released a perfume, a cosmetics venture, and a new spring collection which was already winning plaudits.
But beneath the veneer of happiness, trouble was brewing: a source close to the Stones claims an incident in which Scott harmed herself a month ago was hushed up.
“L’Wren was really quite troubled and there were some issues over Mick and her standing in the family. It seems she suffered from depression.”
Having been Jagger’s girlfriend for 12 years, Scott naturally hoped their relationship would become a marriage. But with two marriages having ended in divorce, Jagger appears to have little time for the concept of holy matrimony, let alone monogamy.
Adding to her depression was money troubles. The designer is believed to owe creditors £4 592 000, while her company LS Fashion LTD has a deficit of £3 546 000. When Scott cancelled her showing at London Fashion Week, claiming that her chosen fabrics had arrived too late to be sewn on time, many speculated that she was perhaps “too broke” to put on a show. - Tonight Reporter