In 1997, when the couple still seemed very much in love, a French magazine called “Paris Match” released a report claiming that the relationship between David Copperfield and Claudia Schiffer was nothing more than a business arrangement, according to the Independent.
“David seemed to pick Claudia out of the audience at random, but it was in fact the first step in a devious and incredibly detailed plan,” the magazine wrote (via the Independent). “Claudia was paid pounds 12,500 to be there and her first-class tickets to Berlin, hotel suite, Mercedes limo and bodyguard were all paid for by David’s PR company.” Copperfield filed a $30 million lawsuit against the magazine. The lawsuit stated that “Mr. Copperfield and Ms. Schiffer met on the job, fell in love and plan to marry. They are not pretending anything to anyone,” via The Buffalo News.
In 1999, just before the couple officially separated, they were awarded an undisclosed amount by a French court, who ruled that the “Paris Match” report was “false and defamatory,” according to People. But it was a hollow victory for Schiffer, who told Canoe, a Canadian news website, in 2000, “I was open and honest about my relationship with David and look where it got us. All the lies that came out were so stressful. It was so unfair.”
