After her ex husband accused her of ‘abducting’ their children from Monaco, Gossip Girl star Kelly Rutherford has been ordered by a judge to bring her son and daughter to court when she attends later today.
She had previously refused to send son Hermes, 8, and daughter Helene, 5, back to their father Daniel Giersch in Europe.
She told Good Morning America: “My first priority is to protect my children.
“Their safety is my priority. I’m a mother first, and from the beginning, I said I would fight for my children. I think most parents would.”
She had been granted custody earlier this year after a 6-year battle with her ex husband, during this time her children had been living in Monaco with their father.
The court battle stemmed from Giersch’s US Visa being revoked after their split, all whilst Kelly, 46, was pregnant with her daughter.
In 2012, Giersch was granted ‘temporary’ custody. Kelly fought tirelessly to return her children to America, flying to Moncao over 70 times to see her son and duaghter.
But Kelly’s lawyer argued on Good Morning America: “Temporary means they come back to their own country so what Kelly’s doing is really just respecting what the court said in 2012. They’re American citizens. They have a right to live in their own country.”
Giersch’s attorney fought back in a statement earlier this week: "Daniel will continue to protect the children from any harm and any media exposure. Unfortunately Kelly has now added child abduction to extortion and false statements on her list of actions. Daniel will make sure that the children's safety and well being will be restored as soon as possible.”
The case continues.