Addie Collins Zinone: Matt Lauer’s Accuser Speaks Out, Says She Feels Devastated For His Wife
Addie Collins Zinone is speaking out after her accusation that Matt Lauer had an affair with her shortly after he married Annette Roque, saying now that she feels badly for the ousted Today show anchor’s wife.
Last week, Zinone came forward to detail her month-long affair with Lauer that started after she became an intern on the Today show in 1999. Zinone claimed that she and Lauer had a series of trysts on the set of the show, including in a bathroom and Lauer’s dressing room. She said the relationship eventually fizzled and believes that Lauer later blackballed her after reporters from the National Enquirer caught wind of the affair and tried to ask her about it.
Zinone said that she did not feel victimized and that the relationship was consensual, but she decided to come forward to support the other women who have accused Lauer of improper sexual behavior.
Addie Collins Zinone is now opening up even more about her affair with Matt Lauer, saying that she believes the relationship was a mistake and that she feels bad for Annette Roque.
“It’s a massive mistake and I understand how I made it and I know who I am at my core and the values I have, but of course you carry shame,” she said during an appearance on the Today show on Monday (via Hollywood Life). “He has a wife. Even now, I don’t want to pour salt on these wounds, and that’s a really scary thing that you do carry that your whole life. You’re thinking…Why could I not get out of it? Why did I do that?”
Zinone added that it is difficult to talk about the affair and that her family is afraid for her now that she has entered the spotlight. She has since come under attack on social media, with many people calling her a “whore” and blaming her for the affair.
"I'm putting my name and face out there to squash any doubts about the allegations from other women against Matt Lauer." https://t.co/xG3iebYgCE
— Ramin Setoodeh (@RaminSetoodeh) December 14, 2017
Since the accusations came forward and he was abruptly fired from the Today show, Matt Lauer has not appeared publicly and is reportedly working to repair his marriage. A source told People magazine Lauer is now “fighting to save [his] marriage” and that he has been focusing largely on the three children he shares with Roque. The couple is still living together, the report noted.
While Addie Collins Zinone has stepped into the spotlight to speak about her affair with Matt Lauer, the original accuser — a Today show staffer who said he acted in a sexually inappropriate manner while the crew was covering the 2014 Sochi Olympics — remains anonymous.
