Photo: KIM KULISH/AFP ; Aaron Rapoport/CORBIS OUTLINE/Corbis
Dodi FayedandPrincess Dianawere one of the most high-profile couples in the world at the time of their tragic deaths in 1997 — but the People’s Princess wasn’t the only love Dodi knew in his life.
Before dating Diana, Dodi was in a relationship with American-born model Kelly Fisher. InThe Crownseason 5, Erin Richards plays Kelly, with the Netflix drama depicting her in a romance with Dodi, much to the chagrin of his father,Mohamed Al-Fayed. Richards reprises her role in season 6 of the series, where she confronts Dodi as he continues his alleged affair with the princess.
In real life, most people didn’t know about Kelly and Dodi’s romance until it ended, largely because it ended quite acrimoniously.
So who is the woman who stole Dodi’s heart, however briefly, before he romanced the then-Princess of Wales? Here’s everything to know about Kelly Fisher and her relationship with Dodi Fayed.
Kelly Fisher was a successful model
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Kelly was born in Louisville, Kentucky, where she and her family lived for several years before they relocated to Toronto for her father’s job, shetoldAiken Woman.
She was discovered as a teen in Toronto and began modeling while on summer breaks from school. After high school, Kelly went to college for two semesters before dropping out to focus on modeling full-time. Her modeling career highlights include the cover ofMarie Claire, as well as for brands including Armani, La Perla and Victoria’s Secret.
Kelly Fisher claimed she and Dodi Fayed were engaged when he and Princess Diana started dating
Kelly met Dodi Fayed in July 1996 while they were both in Paris, and they got together quickly. Kelly later alleged that Dodi started romancing Princess Diana just as speedily, and claimed that there was a significant overlap between her relationship with Dodi and his and Diana’s courtship.Vanity Fairreportedthat Kelly would wait for Dodi on one of his yachts while he cavorted with the Princess of Wales on another yacht.
Kelly reportedly didn’t know that Dodi was actually having an affair with Diana untilThe Sunday Mirrorpublished photos of the pair kissing.According to Kelly’s attorney, Kelly and Dodi were slated to marry on Aug. 9, 1997 — and Dodi gave her a large sapphire and diamond engagement ring.
Dodi Fayed’s family denied he was ever engaged to Kelly Fisher
According toVanity Fair, Dodi’s father, Mohamed Al-Fayed, slammed Kelly as a “hooker” and a “gold digger.” In areport fromThe Irish Times, a spokesman for Dodi’s family denied he had ever proposed marriage to Kelly but did concede that Dodi knew her.
Kelly Fisher sued Dodi Fayed for ending their engagement and getting together with Princess Diana
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Days afterThe Sunday Mirrorpublished photos of Dodi and Diana, Kelly enlisted attorney Gloria Allred and sued Dodi for breach of contract, alleging that his leaving her for Princess Diana violated their marriage agreement. In her lawsuit, Kelly claimed that Dodi offered her $500,000 to ditch her modeling career to spend more time with him, but that he only gave her $60,000 and a $200,000 check that bounced; Kelly’s suit sought the remaining $440,000 of the alleged balance, plus damages.
During an August 1997 press conference, atearful Kelly looked onas Allred told reporters, “Mr. Fayed needs to take responsibility for the woman that he ‘left at the altar’ and treated with such total disrespect. He threw her love away in a callous way with no regard for her whatsoever.”
At the press conference, Kelly invited Princess Diana to meet with her to discuss their respective romances with Dodi. The Princess of Wales never responded to the invitation. At the time, a rep for the Fayed family toldThe Associated Press(viaThe Los Angeles Times), “We are content to leave it to the good sense of the British and American people to judge this development for what it is.”
KellyFisher dropped the lawsuit against Dodi Fayed after his death
Just days after Kelly announced she was suing Dodi, Dodi and Princess Dianadied in a Paris car crashfollowing a paparazzi chase — then Kelly and Allred dropped the lawsuit.
Allredsaid in a statement at the time, “Out of respect for the tragedy, and tremendous loss the Fayed family has suffered, she has authorized me as her attorney, to dismiss her lawsuit against Mr Fayed. Although she does have the legal right to pursue the lawsuit against his estate after his death, she has voluntarily chosen not to exercise that right.”
KellyFisher didn’t go to Dodi Fayed’s funeral
Kelly didn’t attend Dodi’s funeral on Sept. 1, 1997. Allred told the media that Kelly wanted to attend her ex’s memorial services, but that it “happened so fast” that Kelly could not fly to London in time.
Phone recordings of Dodi Fayed and Kelly Fisher were made public after he died
Netflix
Kelly participated in the inquest into Princess Diana’s death, and in 2008,transcripts of heated phone callsbetween Kelly and Dodi became public. In the conversations, she accuses Dodi of two-timing her and Princess Diana, saying, “You even flew me down to St. Tropez to sit on a boat while you seduced Diana all day and f— me all night.” She also told Dodi in one call, “You are f—crazy. We were together the whole time. And you knew it.”
Per the transcripts, Dodi repeatedly tried to end the conversation, calling Kelly “hysterical,” saying they were broken up when he was with Diana and accusing her of totaling his $50,000 car, which she denied.
Kelly Fisher married a pilot
In 2007, Kelly met pilot Mikhail Movshina while they were both on a safari in the Central African Republic. She toldAiken Womanin 2014, “He was working with the government to stop the Sudanese poachers from slaughtering the elephants for their tusks.”
After Movshina’s work in Africa ended, he and Kelly lived together in Paris and then in the Swiss Alps. In 2010, upon learning she was pregnant, she and Movshina moved to Aiken, South Carolina, to be closer to her family. She and Movshina still reside in Aiken, along with their daughter, Alexandra, who was born in 2011.
source: people.com
