Madonna fell off a horse while riding in the Hamptons on Saturday, and issued a statement claiming that her horse “was startled by paparazzi who jumped out of the bushes.” She suffered only minor injuries and was seen at a local hospital and released. The 50 year-old singer was photographed on the beach the next day and seems to be fine now.
There was only one guy photographing Madonna the day she fell, and he swears that he left before Madonna’s accident because he wasn’t getting good shots of her. The photographer told TMZ that he took off well before Madonna fell, and then returned when he heard that ambulances were called to the scene. He said “”If I had startled the horse, I would have gotten pictures!”
The paparazzi aren’t known for their trustworthiness, and many were willing to believe Madonna’s account that this guy spooked her horse even though he denies it. The only problem is that local police say that no one from Madonna’s side mentioned the paparazzi at all and that it’s not on their report of the incident:
The 50-year-old pop star was asked how she was doing after a night recuperating at pal Gwyneth Paltrow’s estate.
“Better,” she replied.
Madonna’s camp claims her prior encounter with a photographer didn’t go quite so nicely.
Spokeswoman Liz Rosenberg claimed her superstar client was thrown when a photog jumped out of a patch of bushes and startled her horse, sending her flying.
But freelance photographer Thomas Hinton claims he played no role in Madonna’s mishap – a position supported by the Southampton Village Police Department.
Sgt. Herbert Johnson pointed out to TMZ.com Monday that no one mentioned a shutterbug in the police report about the incident. “There is no mention of photographers,” he said. “It’s a matter of spin control that went out of control. If they felt there was something else, they would have written ‘paparazzi’ in the form – if they felt there was a problem.”
Hinton told The News he shot some frames of Madonna riding her horse about 3:50 p.m. Saturday, but took off soon after because he didn’t have a good vantage point.
Hinton returned more than 40 minutes later when he got tipped off that Madonna had had an accident, he says.
“I arrived more than 10 minutes after she fell, and I was shooting from the street,” Hinton said. “I don’t know what [Rosenberg] is talking about.”
Madonna, who was born in Bay City, Mich., and once worked at a Dunkin’ Donuts, has taken pains to reinvent herself as a high-class jodhpur-wearing British countrywoman.
After buying Ashcombe, a 1,200-acre estate in Wiltshire, she had an indoor riding arena built there.
Following a rib-cracking fall in 2005, she got back in the saddle and stepped up her lessons.Friends say ex-husband Guy Ritchie’s lack of support after that accident was one of the many issues responsible for their eventual split.
Madonna’s recent decision to relocate to New York hasn’t dampened her enthusiasm for becoming an accomplished equestrian.
Last month, she entered a horse competition in Florida under a pseudonym, according to sources. Some suspect she may be reluctant to admit she again lost control of the reins, preferring to blame the paparazzi.
[From The NY Daily News]
It looks like Madonna just got caught blaming someone else for her mishap. It figures that the woman who depends on the paparazzi to drum up interest in her career, revived by sheer will power, stunt dating, and hours of pilates a day, would blame them when something goes wrong. It’s all someone else’s fault when something bad happens to Madonna.
In related Madonna news, her appeal in her adoption bid for Mercy James will be heard on May 4. Madonna is not expected to be there. Not only did Madonna go against Malawian laws that require adoptive parents to live in Malawi for at least 18 months, she’s single now, which also weakens her appeal. Do you think she’ll send any money to Mercy’s family if her bid to adopt the child is ultimately unsuccessful?
Header image is from a series Steve Klein shot of Madonna for W Magazine in 2006. Madonna was at Klein’s home when she fell on Saturday.
That photo is revolting *shudder*
God she looks vile in that photo.
oh god…i just threw up in my mouth a little bit.
rippling back muscles are weird.
That’s what 4 hours of exercise a day look like.
That’s also what an enormous amount of hair extensions look like.
Nice Photoshop. Once you know it’s based on Madonna, of course, you’re so happy it’s not a frontal view of the Gristle.
That picture is disgusting. She looks like one of those vile skinned Chinese cadavers who’s pictures we are subjected to on phone booths and buses for the “Bodies” display at South Street Seaport.
I dont think the picture is flatering in any way, but must admit regardless its an interesting picture
That photos made me lose my lunch. How could she look like that on purpose ? Is she crazy?
Madonna wishes reeeeeally hard she could be a gay man.
She probably blames her fall on Guy.
@ Hestia
Not sure which Body Worlds exhibit you are talking about, but the one that has been touring around the world is legit.
These are not Chinese skinned cadavers, but bodies that have been acquired legally and with consent. A professor of mine was on a ethics panel discussing the exhibit and got the real details and back stories on some of the displays. I highly recommend that you open your mind and check it out, maybe you could learn something new?
And, those bodies are awesome when compared to that piece of gristle Madge!
@ gg: LOL! Pretty much sums it all up!
I love that the police officer called out Madonna and Liz Rosenberg who shills whatever shit Madonna is trying to sell to the public. Her hair and the horse are the only pretty things in that photo.
Like I said.. maybe the horse spooked at a guy sitting in the bushes.. maybe it just spooked at a scary white pebble.
Horses. Do. That. If Madonna or her rep made up the paparazzi comment then they seriously need to get over themselves. Get the top equestrians of any discipline together and there won’t be one of them that hasn’t taken a hard fall over something incidental.
I think I would have had a lot more respect and sympathy for Madonna if she’d come out saying “The horse spooked at nothing in particular, made a triple axle followed by half a cartwheel and then I was on the ground” – any rider would grin in recognition and sympathy 🙂
Madonna depends on paparrazzi??? Well, unlike many others, she is usually photographed everyday entering and leaving the kaballah center (which takes around 30 seconds for each photo op!)… How many celebrities have you lately seen entering in a spiritual center regulary? And she is calling the paparrazi for this ritual??? How many times have you seen her at an event gala in one year where celebs usually pose to photographers? Could you count more than 20 times in the last 5 years? And this is the most photographed women on earth! And she depends on paparrazzi, or paparazzi depend on her to sell magazines, create stories, benefit from her world power and presence?
For Realz, I can’t agree with you. “Legally and by consent,” what does that mean? Certainly not by consent of the deceased, who probably never imagined their corpses would be displayed in a “museum” kicking a soccer ball or whatever else they’re posed doing. To me, this is more obscene than pornography. Also, hasn’t the Chinese government been accused of simply providing bodies? With their human rights abuses, this wouldn’t surprise me at all.
@ j ferber
Believe it or not, some people find the work that is being done by von Hagens wonderful and a boon to anatomy/physiology. The human body is fascinating, and very few people get to see how we are put together, and what makes us tick. It is a life changing exhibit and every visitor who was there when I went was filled with awe and respect.
These people, much like other organ donors feel that they are donating their bodies to science for education and life preservation. The people who choose to donate their bodies do so BEFORE they die, not after.
These exhibits have been touring since 1995. I would think that if there were ethical issues, they would not continue for as long they have; let alone putting out new exhibits and specimens.
Who’s the woman on the horse?