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Jim Carrey cleared of any role in Irish ex-girlfriend's death

Actor Jim Carrey has been cleared of any role in the death of his Irish ex-girlfriend. The 56-yea...
Newstalk
Newstalk

16.54 1 Feb 2018


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Jim Carrey cleared of any role...

Jim Carrey cleared of any role in Irish ex-girlfriend's death

Newstalk
Newstalk

16.54 1 Feb 2018


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Actor Jim Carrey has been cleared of any role in the death of his Irish ex-girlfriend.

The 56-year-old star was sued by the mother and estranged husband of Irish make-up artist Cathriona White after she took her own life in 2015.

Brigid Sweetman and Mark Burton both accused Carrey of providing prescription pills to the 30-year-old, and said he had obtained them illegally under a false name.

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Carrey denied the claims and filed a countersuit against the pair in September, insisting the lawsuits were an attempt to exploit him.

Settlement

The actor also said that Ms White had blackmailed him by threatening to go public with what he said were false claims that he had given her STDs unless he paid her millions of dollars.

He had previously paid her an undisclosed sum to settle the accusations.

In statement released last September, Carrey said he “made the mistake” of settling the claims as “mounting a public defence is a very costly and painful process.”

He said he felt Ms White was being exploited by her lawyer when she made the claims.

In a statement issued when he filed the countersuit against Ms Sweetman and Mr Burton, Carrey described the "depth of deception" behind the lawsuits as "unimaginable."

He described Ms White as “the woman I adored” adding “I will hold a place of empathy, and forgiveness for Cat and continue to focus on the many blessings in this life.”

Forged test

Carrey’s attorney, Raymond Boucher, has now found that Ms White edited information on a friend's old STD test to make it look like it belonged to her - and then intended to use it to accuse the actor.

Through his investigation, Mr Boucher discovered that the forged results sheet was from a 2011 test, and that Ms White had tried to use it to prove she was clean before entering into a relationship with Carrey.

Ms Sweetman and Mr Burton had said contracting the STDs from Carrey had caused Ms White mental distress, which could have contributed to her taking her own life.

The case against the Canadian-born comedian has now been dismissed, his representative said, who added that he was "looking forward to moving on with his life."

Michael Avenatti, the attorney for Ms Sweetman and Mr Burton, has offered no comment.

Relationship

Jim Carrey carries the coffin of ex-girlfriend Cathriona White to Our Lady of Fatima Church, in her home village of Cappawhite, Co Tipperary ahead of her funeral, 10-10-2015. Image: Niall Carson/PA Archive/PA Images

Carrey and Ms White are believed to have been in an on-off relationship over a number of years since 2012.

It has been claimed that the two had broken up before her death.

Following her funeral in 2015, the actor helped shoulder Ms White's coffin to the local cemetery in Tipperary where she was buried beside her late father Pat.

He wrote a tribute after her death, describing her as a “truly kind and delicate Irish flower” and described her death as like being "hit with a lightning bolt."

Anyone affected by the issues discussed in this article can contact Samaritans Ireland on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org


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