At Last, Girlfriend in House of Gucci Murder Drama Speaks Out
Sheree McLaughlin had a years-long affair with Maurizio Gucci, which gave him the courage to leave his marriage with Patrizia Reggiani. It was a decision that would get him killed.
McLaughlin and Gucci in Acapulco, Mexico, in 1986.
Courtesy of Sheree McLaughlin
Early one summer morning in 1984, Sheree McLaughlin walked down to the buzzing port in the Sardinian town of Porto Cervo on Italy’s Costa Smeralda, named for the ocean’s brilliant blue-green hues. The local yacht club had organized the 12-Metre Class World Championship for the first time and was backing the Italian challenger for the upcoming 1987 America’s Cup. The team had attracted some of the best sailors in the world, including her then-husband, an expert spinnaker designer.
Sheree, 26 at the time, was a lanky blonde from Orange, Conn., and a seasoned sailor herself. For the first few days of the competition, she’d been directed to a large yacht that had been chartered to entertain the sailors’ wives, families, and friends. The guests were plied with food and Champagne and followed the race at a distance through binoculars. “Nobody knew what they were watching, and I hated it,” she says.