PARIS, Aug 26 — The former partner of the French celebrity chef Jean Imbert has filed a domestic violence complaint against him, according to a filing seen by AFP on yesterday.
Lila Salet, 33, lodged the complaint on Saturday over incidents that she claims took place between 2012 and 2013 when she was in a relationship with the 44-year-old “Top Chef” winner, Elle magazine reported.
In her complaint, a copy of which was seen by AFP, Salet, who is a former actor, accused Imbert of repeatedly slapping her and confining her to a hotel.
Salet filed the complaint after she and three other ex-partners of the chef at the Hotel Plaza Athenee in Paris accused him of physical and psychological abuse in an April interview with Elle.
Imbert, who rose to fame after winning the TV competition “Top Chef” before becoming a social media star, has denied the allegations.
Former Miss France Alexandra Rosenfeld, who initially spoke out under a pseudonym, said in an Instagram post last week that more than 10 years ago Imbert broke her nose, with an X-ray confirming the injury.
A spokesperson for the chef said Imbert “deeply regretted” the incident, adding that Rosenfeld’s nose was broken during “a moment of violence” when Imbert was grabbed by his partner and “broke free”.
Salet told AFP it was Rosenfeld’s testimony that prompted her to file the complaint.
“He was violent with me,” she said, adding that she had initially doubted Rosenfeld’s claims before learning of the injury.
“It reignited a kind of anger, especially since I had filed a complaint in 2013 and, unfortunately, out of compassion at the time, I withdrew it,” Salet said.
“I want justice to be done and the truth to be heard,” she added. — AFP
