Kelly Rutherford is a talented actress and a successful entrepreneur. She’s most known for her role as the head matriarch Lily van der Woodsen, in the hit show Gossip Girl. Her acting career started much earlier than GG, but she gained global attention thanks to this legendary series.
Rutherford is not just an inspiring businesswoman, but she’s also a great role model. There’s so much more to her than her roles. So, here are eight things you didn’t know about Kelly Rutherford.
1. Kelly Rutherford Got Her Big Break as Megan Lewis on Melrose Place
Before the cultural phenomenon Gossip Girl, there was the fun soap opera Melrose Place. Amazingly, Kelly Rutherford was in both of these legendary shows. As a matter of fact, she got her big break as the sexy Megan Lewis on Melrose Place, who first appeared in season 5 and stayed until 1999.
2. She Mostly Eats Organic Food
The secret to long-lasting beauty, if you ask Kelly Rutherford, is eating healthy food. For her, it’s specifically organic food. Rutherford. She said, “When I am home, I eat all organic and do my best to find great organic restaurants like Le Pain Quotidien. Yet I also live my life.”
3. Kelly Rutherford Has Two Children
Rutherford’s custody battle was very public, messy, and expensive. It lasted six years, but she is now finally doing great after losing custody of her kids to her ex-husband, German businessman Daniel Giersch. She has two children, a daughter named Helena and a son named Hermes.
4. She Filed for Bankruptcy in 2013
As mentioned, the custody battle for her kids was a huge financial hit for Rutherford. She even filed for bankruptcy during this time, mostly due to the expensive legal fees she piled up during the long custody dispute and divorce. She eventually had her debts discharged and is now doing better.
5. She Has an Impressive Portfolio of TV Shows
Rutherford started her career doing soap operas and drama series. She will always be remembered as the scheming Lily on Gossip Girl and Megan on Melrose Place. But she has done many impressive projects. Some of her most notable work includes Generations, Scream 3, The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., Quantico, Dynasty, and more.
6. She Reportedly Dated Her Gossip Girl Co-star Matthew Settle
Lily and Rufus were one of the best couples on Gossip Girl. They were teenage ex-lovers who found a way back to each other in their mature years. And the palpable chemistry between Kelly Rutherford and Matthew Settle truly helped make Lily and Rufus so adorable. Well, interestingly enough, the actors were reportedly dating in real life too.
When Rutherford posted a photo of them kissing on her Instagram account, Lily and Rufus shippers went wild. She wrote, “Happy Birthday to my handsome soulful friend @matthew_settle. I love you and think the world of you. As an actor father and friend. Sending you so much love today and everyday. (as you can see I have a really tough time showing my affection for this human)” Despite constantly posting affectionate photos and lovely messages to each other on social media, the two always denied the dating rumors.
7. Kelly Rutherford Relates to Lily Van Der Woodsen
By the looks of her social media posts, Kelly Rutherford lifestyle bears a striking resemblance to her onscreen character Lily Van Der Woodsen. Gossip Girl fans all agree that she is the real-life Lily, but what does the actress think about that comparison? In an interview with Roar, she said she relates to her character in one crucial way – fashion. She explained, “I’m an actress, but I also love fashion, and I also love home design and art, and there’s so much that I’m interested in, so I tried to bring all of that to that character. And, so, maybe, yeah, that’s where the overlap is. I bought a lot of my own style to the character. And you know, obviously not every day; I’m not Lily van der Woodsen, but sort of the style of it, yeah.”
8. She Is an Advocate of Multiple Charities
Rutherford is a role model for younger generations on so many levels. One of the most plausible things about her is that she’s an advocate of multiple women’s and children’s charities. She represents the Bugaboo project (RED), StepUp Women’s network. She also actively works on raising environmental awareness through her support of the non-profit organization Healthy Child, Healthy World.
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