Mary-Kate Olsen and Olivier Sarkozy's relationship was branded 'grotesque' by his ex-wife over their age gap
Mary-Kate Olsen and Olivier Sarkozy's 5-year-long marriage is coming to an end as the fashion designer and former actress has filed for divorce from her husband on April 17, claiming that the latter is trying to force her out as he terminated their lease without her knowledge. While the apparently dramatic culmination of their marriage seemed to have hit entertainment fans out of the blue, the couple's union was doomed from the time Olivier, a French banker, who was 42 in 2012, first started dating Olsen, who was 25. Additionally, he was a divorced man with two children. News of their romance broke when the pair were seen cuddling up to each other at Madison Square Gardens on April 25 of the same year. At the time, his ex-wife, Charlotte Sarkozy, told National Enquirer that she found the blooming relationship between her former spouse and the actress "not right. It's grotesque."
"Charlotte certainly won't want her kids to be around Mary-Kate, who has a history of wild-partying and booze binges," an insider told the publication at the time. Olivier was also mocked by the French press, which branded him the "little French lover," despite the fact that he stood towering over Olsen, being over six feet tall. Despite the overwhelming criticism of their relationship, the two remained unwavering in their love for each other and finally ended up tying the knot in 2015. It was rumored at the time that although Olivier was ready to pop the question after just 10 months of dating Olsen, the actress made him wait three years before saying yes, Mirror reported.
The wedding itself was as controversial as the buzz around their relationship. Although the pair tried to keep the details of the big day under wraps, even banning phones, details of the couple's big day leaked out. According to reports, their wedding venue was a private home in Manhattan - which they had decorated with "bowls and bowls filled with cigarettes". A source added: "Everyone smoked the whole night."
After their wedding day, the couple disappeared for two whole months. It was speculated that Mary-Kate and Olivier had left New York to spend some quality time in the banker's native France. "Mary-Kate has a fabulous life with Olivier and they spend a lot of time in Paris where they are both very happy. She has become immersed in his world," an insider said at the time.
In a rare interview with Porter magazine in 2017, Mary-Kate presented at insight into her marriage, saying that she took care of all the household chores despite being a millionaire. She also revealed that she liked to cook dinner for her husband every night. "I think we’re lucky [working hard] comes quite naturally for us. We don’t need so much time to sit and think and ponder. But then I have a husband, two step-kids and a life; I have to go home and cook dinner. I ride horses on the weekends. You find the thing that helps you relax and if you don’t have it, look for it. Or you get burned out and then you’re not productive," she said.
She and her husband also continued to shun social media, and as a result, had no connection with her fans or costume designers in her fashion empire. "We don’t have Instagram or Facebook, so we’ve never been connected to our customers or our fans in that way. We’ve stayed quite sheltered," she said.
Now, Mary-Kate is seeking an emergency order to allow her to file the legal paperwork to end her marriage, despite the fact that New York City courts are not currently accepting divorce filings due to the ongoing Covid-19 crisis. Mary-Kate's attorneys got an email from Olivier's attorneys, giving her till May 18 to vacate their NYC apartment. She said that she has asked Olivier repeatedly to give her until May 30, but hasn’t received a response in that regard.
She claims that she can't meet the deadline because of quarantine guidelines in the city. She said that the only way she can protect her property is if she filed a divorce petition, which would trigger an automatic court order preventing him from disposing of her property, something that’s reportedly part of her prenuptial agreement.