Blake Lively gives deeply personal speech at Time100 Gala: ‘Much to say’
She publicly referenced her ongoing legal war with Justin Baldoni for the first time during a deeply personal speech at the Time100 Gala.
Celebrity Life
Don't miss out on the headlines from Celebrity Life. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Blake Lively has spoken about her family’s harrowing past trauma during a deeply personal speech at the Time100 Gala.
The actress gave a five-minute speech honouring her mother, Willie Elain McAlpin, who had joined Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds at the star-studded event on Thursday.
While it wasn’t Lively’s first public speaking engagement since she launched a lawsuit against her It Ends With Us co-star and director, Justin Baldoni – it did mark the first time she appeared to publicly acknowledge it.
“I have so much to say about the last two years of my life, but tonight is not the forum,” she began, before moving on to speak about her life’s greatest influence: her mother, the “eternal optimist”.
“My mum never got justice from her work acquaintance who attempted to take her life when she was the mother of three young kids — years before I was born,” Lively told the audience. “She has always credited her beating heart today with the story she heard from another woman in a similar circumstance, speaking on the radio as my mum drove home one day.
“The woman painfully and graphically shared how she escaped, and because of hearing that woman speak to her experience instead of shutting down in fear and unfair shame, my mum is alive today.
“She was saved by a woman whose name she’ll never know. I am alive, and standing with you all here today, being honoured, because of a woman whose name I’ll never know. I am here, my mum is here, because that woman not only survived, but she told others how.”
She finished: “I know the superpower of female triumph though. I have touched it, shaken hands with it. I’m looking at it in this room here right now. These are the happy endings we must see as women and girls.
“We can make it to the end alive, physically or emotionally, and we will and we do, and we thrive. Even when it doesn’t feel possible. Even when we are in sharp pain.
“Never underestimate a woman’s ability to endure pain. Life’s just a bowl of cherries.”
Lively was among the nominees of this year’s edition of Time100, an honour which came amid her ongoing and high-profile legal battle with Baldoni.
It began in December when the A Simple Favour actress filed a lawsuit against Baldoni for emotional distress and lost wages. She also alleged that he, his publicists and the producers of their film launched a smear campaign against her after she complained about sexual harassment on set.
A month later, Baldoni returned serve, suing Lively – as well as her husband, Ryan Reynolds – for US$400 million ($A623 million).
He has accused Lively of using false allegations in order to wrest creative control of the film from him.
Originally published as Blake Lively gives deeply personal speech at Time100 Gala: ‘Much to say’
Model breaks silence on Justin Hemmes’ baby
As Madeline Holtznagel prepares to welcome her first child with hospitality billionaire Justin Hemmes, the model speaks for the first time about her relationship with the hotelier.
Terri responds to Robert Irwin sex symbol status
As she opens up about grief and motherhood, Terri Irwin weighs into her son’s heart-throb reputation after THAT underwear campaign.