Christie Smythe, Martin Shkreli’s friend, told The Post on Monday that she was open to meeting other boys – now that the fraudster “Pharma Bro” had unceremoniously given her the boot through one of her lawyers.
Caught in public for the first time since revealing the strange couple’s romantic story in a sensational magazine on Sunday, the former Bloomberg News reporter said: “He practically threw me through his lawyers”.
Smythe was referring to the cold statement that Shkreli issued to Elle mag through one of her lawyers when she was asked to comment on Smythe’s story about their romance.
“Sir. Shkreli wishes Ms. Smythe good luck in her future endeavors,” said Shkreli, who was convicted of defrauding investors in 2017 and serving a seven-year prison sentence – a case Smythe helped. to cover.
Smythe – wearing a shirt that read “Be Kind” under her knee-length camel coat – told The Post: “It was a classic break-up-slash-if-you-fire-someone line.
“It’s similar to being fired by a CEO,” said the journalist, who gave up her husband and Bloomberg job for Shkreli. “It was heartbreaking and really sad.”
Asked by The Post if she was ready to start meeting other boys, Smythe – dressed in black jeans and boots as she walked her dog through the snow – replied: “I’m definitely open.
“I’m basically single for two years,” she said. “I’m not going to sit and wait.”
However, the writer said: “I am here in the sense that I care about him. I love him. I would be interested to see if we can do some kind of future work, if that’s what he wants to do.
“I am a friend. I’m someone who cares about him, “she said.
“I mean, he might be mad at me,” Smythe said of Shkreli, referring to her exit from their story in the article.
But he started their relationship, she said.
“My marriage was coming to an end. I tried to do the thing where I was trying to be a friend and I was trying to be a reporter and I was sucked in too much.
“It simply came to our notice then. … My husband and I were seeing a marriage counselor and I had visited Martin in prison and I began to realize that I was falling in love.
“I don’t throw myself at people without a good understanding of their feelings,” Smythe said. “[Shkreli] his girlfriend called me first and called me “baby” first and kept talking adorably about the wonderful things we will do in the future one day, traveling or “We will do this one day”, daydreaming .
“And everything was on his side.”
And Smythe was convinced of something else.
“I want to be as clear as possible: I didn’t sleep with him. I didn’t engage in romantic interactions with him until I was done with Bloomberg, “Smythe said of Shkreli.
“And I don’t care if any of his great visions come true,” she said. “She is a brilliant person. It’s fascinating. “