I worked with Carolyn Bessette. This is the 'messy' truth about what she was REALLY like in secret. After she met JFK Jr she tried to hide it... but we all knew the nighttime gossip
When Carolyn Bessette started dating John F Kennedy Jr in 1994, their whirlwind relationship captivated the world. Gazing at newsstands people wondered: How did a Calvin Klein sales associate catch the eye of America's most eligible bachelor?
Every detail of their romance was covered by the press and dissected by the public. Paparazzi followed their every move.
And when it all ended with their fatal plane crash in 1999, it cemented their love story as one of most tragic in history.
Their rollercoaster romance, as well as Bessette's impressive journey from a small-town Connecticut girl to a global sensation, has once again captured the attention of millions thanks to Ryan Murphy's new FX series Love Story.
But now, the Daily Mail has gained brand-new insight into the story from someone who had a front row seat to it, and who saw the couple just days before their deaths.
Theresa DeMaria, 55, worked alongside Bessette for years at Calvin Klein, and saw first hand how she went from a normal staffer who showed up to the office looking 'messy' and 'disheveled' to the designer's right-hand woman, who always looked the part and was not to be messed with.
And when JFK Jr started courting Bessette, DeMaria remembered how he would send her gifts and whisk her away from the office - all while he was still in a relationship with actress Daryl Hannah.
Bessette started working as a sales assistant at a Calvin Klein in a mall in Boston after she graduated from college in 1988, before she was headhunted and moved to the company's flagship store in New York City.
When Carolyn Bessette started dating John F. Kennedy Jr. in 1994, their whirlwind relationship completely captured the globe. They're seen together in 1997
Theresa DeMaria (seen recently), 55, from Chicago, worked alongside Bessette for many years and saw first hand how she went from a normal staffer to worldwide celebrity
DeMaria started there in 1991, landing a job in showroom sales for the men's division, and she recalled Bessette often showing up to work looking like she had 'just gotten out of bed.'
DeMaria claimed that Bessette's hair often looked 'tangled' or 'crazy,' and that she never wore makeup.
'She did not care about what she looked like at the beginning, it looked like she just walked out of bed and came into the office,' DeMaria explained during an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail.
'[But Calvin Klein] had a very natural aesthetic, nobody really did much to themselves so it worked.
'She was tall and thin and she had a distinct classic look to her, so she always looked beautiful even if she did look disheveled.'
Bessette eventually became the director of publicity for the women's department of the store, while DeMaria had the same title for the men's division, which meant they worked together on numerous occasions.
'When we had [male] VIP clients come in, I would put together a selection of custom-made things for them. And that was what Carolyn did but for the women's department,' she explained.
'She had the same role I had [but in women's], so she and I would have to meet and collaborate when we had VIP clients.
Their rollercoaster-ride romance, as well as Bessette's impressive journey, has once again caught the attention of millions thanks to Ryan Murphy's new FX series Love Story (seen)
DeMaria claimed that Bessette often looked 'disheveled' and that she came to work looking like she had 'just gotten out of bed.' Bessette is seen left in 1992 and right in 1994
She had a reputation for being a party girl, according to DeMaria, who remembered her smoking cigarettes 'constantly' and often enjoying boozy nights out. Bessette is seen in 1992
'We knew each other - we weren't friends, but we worked together and were acquaintances.'
DeMaria described Bessette as 'quiet' but 'nice,' explaining that 'she was a very quiet person until you really got to know her and then her personality came out.'
She had a reputation for being a party girl, according to DeMaria, who remembered her smoking cigarettes 'constantly' and often enjoying boozy nights out with her coworkers after a long day at work.
'She definitely had a bad girl, party [vibe],' DeMaria dished. 'She was definitely a partier, she would smoke a ton, she was in and out of clubs. When we would stay late at work it seemed like she was always going straight from work to some sort of event or bar.'
How Bessette and JFK Jr met has long been debated, with some claiming that Klein was the one who introduced them at a fundraiser event back in 1992, and others saying they met when the Kennedy heir went to get a suit fitted at Calvin Klein.
According to DeMaria, it was a combination of both. She said word at the company was that they first 'met at an event.' But she claimed that he did show up at their offices for a fitting soon after and 'everyone was talking about it.'
After that, DeMaria claimed that JFK Jr started 'sending Bessette gifts' and coming to 'pick her up' from the office, despite the fact that he was still in a relationship with Hannah.
'He sent her clothes from Barneys. He was still dating Daryl so it was a bit scandalous,' she said.
'[It was understood that Bessette] was super upset because he was with Daryl. We all felt sorry for her when that was happening.'
Rumors about them constantly spread through the office, but according to DeMaria, discussing it directly with Bessette was totally off limits.
'At that time, she was under Calvin's wing and we didn't want to mess with that because if you got him upset, you got fired,' she explained.
'So nobody wanted to ask her or talk to her about it unless you were in her inner circle.
DeMaria started at Calvin Klein in 1991, landing a job in showroom sales for the men's division. She's seen during her years at Calvin Klein
DeMaria alleged that Bessette's attitude and appearance both changed after she got promoted at work and once she started dating JFK Jr. She's seen in 1997
DeMaria remembered how JFK Jr. would 'send Bessette gifts' and come 'pick her up' from the office. They couple is seen together in 1996
'But her inner circle would then talk to people in my department so that's how we all found information out.'
JFK Jr and Hannah eventually split in 1994, and he started officially dating Bessette soon after.
And according to DeMaria, the once-quiet and shy sales assistant was practically royalty at Calvin Klein by that time. She alleged that with Bessette's new job title and romance also came a newfound self-importance.
'She developed an ego and started to seem like she had a big attitude,' said DeMaria.
But behind her icy demeanor, DeMaria claimed she sensed a sadness. 'It always seemed like she had something on her mind,' she added. 'She was always sort of pensive, if you will.
'She became more secluded and didn't really want to talk to everybody, I think she was protecting herself but it came off as an attitude.
'She definitely seemed distracted or in her own head and she would be a little bit rushed or brash sometimes when we were talking together. She seemed like she didn't want to socialize.'
Bessette also changed the way she dressed as she climbed the work and social ladders, DeMaria claimed.
'When she started changing roles and became Calvin's assistant, and when she was dating JFK Jr, she had a different air about her,' she said.
'She definitely became more polished looking - her hair was brushed, she looked a little more put together, she started wearing lipstick; she was not doing that when I first met her.'
DeMaria stopped working at Calvin Klein in 1994 - soon after Bessette and JFK Jr officially started dating - and went on to work as the Assistant to Principal Designer at Tommy Hilfiger. Bessette ultimately left Calvin Klein in 1996 when she and JFK Jr got married.
Bessette and JFK Jr. tragically died in 1999 in a fatal plane crash. They're seen in May 1999 just months before the accident
DeMaria (seen recently) stopped working at Calvin Klein in 1994 and went on to work as the Assistant to Principal Designer at Tommy Hilfiger
According to DeMaria, she and Bessette crossed paths years later - just a month before the couple's tragic deaths in 1999.
DeMaria explained to the Daily Mail that she was heading to dinner in SoHo one evening when she ran into Bessette and JFK Jr walking down the street.
She recalled hugging Bessette and exchanging pleasantries, but DeMaria said she sensed a 'tension' between the married pair.
'They were not lovey-dovey. He was walking behind her. It seemed like they had gotten into a fight or something,' DeMaria recalled.
'She didn't introduce me to him, he was like five steps behind her. I sensed there was tension so I didn't want to stay and linger and talk to her.'
Just weeks later, the couple died in a plane crash, which DeMaria described as 'devastating' and 'eerie' given their last encounter.
Like the rest of the world, DeMaria has enjoyed getting to see Murphy's version of the couple's dynamic through his new anthology series, and said it's been especially fun for her to 'reminisce' about those years of her life working alongside Bessette.
She told the Daily Mail that while 'most' of what the series showed about Bessette's time at Calvin Klein seemed 'correct,' there was one thing they got wrong.
'Smoking in the break room, we weren't allowed to do that,' she said with a laugh.
'We had to go into the back alleyway to smoke, that was where people went. And Calvin would never let you smoke in front of the entrance.'
