The Gucci Girlfriend

A love affair with Sheree McLaughlin led fashion scion Maurizio Gucci to leave his wife—a decision that would get him killed. As audiences ready for Ridley Scott’s retelling in House of Gucci, McLaughlin shares her story for the first time.

- Sara Forden

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.

To find an alternative, Sheree tried to hitch a ride with a film crew in a small motorboat headed out to capture the race. A tall man with sandy brown hair wearing white jeans, a light blue chambray shirt, and aviator sunglasses responded in Italian-accented English. “Are you sure?” he asked. “You’re going to get wet.” He warned that they didn’t have good food like on the wives’ yacht.

“That’s OK. That’s not what I want,” she replied. “I want to watch the race.”

Over the next few days, Sheree taught the little crew about sailing, how to pull up to the racing boats without getting in the way, and how to get tight shots as they rounded the buoys. She got soaked and loved every minute of it. Italy kept winning, and she ended up staying almost four weeks.