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 theyve enchanted (many times away from their wives), and some of their A-list clientele. (Elsa / Getty Images)
Rob Lowe‘s former nanny, 24-year-old Jessica Gibson, has filed a lawsuit against her A-list employer. The claim? That the actor exposed himself to her and inappropriately touched her over the course of her 7-year tenure.
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)
Rob Lowes other nanny speaks out
And as if one angry nanny wasnt enough, Rob Lowes other nanny, Laura Boyce, also has come out with a set of allegations. Boyce claims that Sheryl Lowe referred to her boyfriend an NBA player with an offensive racial slur. She also alleges that Sheryl Lowe created an “extremely sexually offensive and hostile work environment ... behaving in a ... perverted, disgusting and crude manner.” (Nick Ut / Associated Press)
Britney Spears baby takes a tumble
At just 7 months old, Britney Spears son, Sean Preston, took a tumble and landed on his head. To the surprise of many, however, BritBrit wasnt to blame; Sean Prestons nanny dropped the infant while lifting him out of his high chair. A doctor checked Sean Prestons bruised noggin and determined the baby safe. The nanny, however, wasnt so lucky; Spears promptly gave her the boot. (Dan Steinberg / Associated Press)
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Ethan Hawke leaves Uma Thurman for new baby mama
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)
Madonnas nanny shops a tell-all
Madonnas 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 Madonnas Nanny, and it would be chock-full of intimate details about Madge’s religion, marriage and children. The effort was squashed when Madonnas attorneys intervened. (Karel Prinsloo / Associated Press)
Robin Williams’ nanny lasts longer than first wife
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 Victoria Beckhams nanny gets chatty
David and Victoria Beckhams 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 Debra Winger, Danny DeVito and Michael Ovitz as well as the adopted children of Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman and lived to tell all in the book “You’ll Never Nanny in This Town Again.” (Guess which of her former bosses threatened her with those very words when she left?) (Michael Crabtree / Associated Press)
Just try to get past Michael Jackson‘s nanny
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)