Nanny scandals: Rob Lowe, Posh and Becks, and more
By Denise Martin, Special to The Times and Stephanie Lysaght, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
Nanny to the stars. The constant care, their nurturing nature. For some Hollywood dads, nothing is as irresistible. But for Rob Lowe, the calling card represents an ongoing nightmare; two of his former kid-sitters recently accused the “Brothers & Sisters” star of sexual harassment. He denies any wrongdoing.
We look back at these headline-making surrogate moms, the men theyÂ’ve enchanted (many times away from their wives), and some of their A-list clientele. (Elsa / Getty Images)
Rob and Sheryl LoweÂ’s alleged nanny abuse
Gibson also accuses Lowe’s wife, pictured, of walking around the house naked and making “vulgar comments†about her sex life. (Nancy Ostertag / Getty Images)
And as if one angry nanny wasn’t enough, Rob Lowe’s other nanny, Laura Boyce, also has come out with a set of allegations. Boyce claims that Sheryl Lowe referred to her boyfriend – an
At just 7 months old, Britney SpearsÂ’ son, Sean Preston, took a tumble and landed on his head. To the surprise of many, however, BritBrit wasnÂ’t to blame; Sean PrestonÂ’s nanny dropped the infant while lifting him out of his high chair. A doctor checked Sean PrestonÂ’s bruised noggin and determined the baby safe. The nanny, however, wasnÂ’t so lucky; Spears promptly gave her the boot. (Dan Steinberg / Associated Press)
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Ethan Hawke met and romanced his current girlfriend and soon-to-be baby mama Ryan Shawhughes while he was still married to Uma Thurman. Shawhughes was in charge of the couple’s two children, Maya and Levon. Hawke’s third child, his first with Shawhughes, is due in early fall. (Peter Foley / EPA)
Madonna’s nanny, Melissa Dumas, knew enough about her employer to write a book… and so she proposed one. It would be called “Live to Tell: My Life as Madonna’s Nanny,” and it would be chock-full of intimate details about Madge’s religion, marriage and children. The effort was squashed when Madonna’s attorneys intervened. (Karel Prinsloo / Associated Press)
Williams married baby sitter Marsha Garces, who looked after his son with first wife, Valerie Velardi, less than a year after he and Velardi divorced. Garces and Williams called it quits after 19 years - nine longer than his marriage to Velardi - in March. They have two children, Zelda Rae and Cody Alan. (Stephen Chernin / Associated Press)
David and
David and Victoria BeckhamÂ’s nanny, Abbie Gibson, was feeling chatty, so she went straight to News of the World to dish the dirt on her employers. Gibson incensed the Beckhams by alleging that they argued constantly and that their marriage was on the verge of collapse. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
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Suzanne Hansen divulges truth about celebrity kid-rearing
Star nannies for star babies? They do exist, and apparently word got around town that Suzanne Hansen was among the best. She took care of the kids of
Just try to get past
Michael Jackson tried to marry his assistant-turned-nanny of several years, Rwanda-native Grace Rwaramba - too bad she was already married! No matter. The couple’s still together and she’s still his last and only line of defense when anyone, including family members and ex-wife Debbie Rowe, come calling. Rwaramba alone escorted his kids Prince and Paris to visit mom Rowe one year, and in January, she reportedly prohibited MJ’s dad Joseph from visiting the Las Vegas home the couple was visiting. (Justin Sullivan / AFP / Getty Images)
