ELLEN BARKIN - BARKIN: 'JEWELLERY AUCTION WAS A PRACTICAL DECISION'

BARKIN: 'JEWELLERY AUCTION WAS A PRACTICAL DECISION'

Actress ELLEN BARKIN has slammed allegations she auctioned $20.3 million (£14.2 million)-worth of jewellery from her ex-husband, billionaire RONALD PERELMAN, for revenge - insisting it was a "practical decision".
The 54-year-old Ocean's 13 star ended her marriage to the business tycoon in 2006, claiming Perelman wouldn't allow her to pursue her acting career while they were together.
And Barkin was so worried film bosses would be reluctant to hire her after taking the prolonged hiatus, she decided to sell her expensive jewels to help support her family.
She tells the New York Daily News, "Everyone thought it was a big f**k-you (to Perelman). That's bulls**t. It was a purely practical decision. I sold them so I - and my children and my mother - would be taken care of. I sold the jewellery because I'd been out of the movie business for seven years. I was 52. There was a good chance I would never get my spot back again."