Far gone are the days when a publicist could mold the world's perception of a star by sharing very specific and very PR-friendly information about him (love interests, whereabouts, upcoming projects, etc). Today, in an era of cameras and easy social media uploads, a celeb's every move is documented by the public, and sometimes his secrets spill, causing PR-nightmares and personal meltdowns.
Here are the 3 times a celeb was "caught" doing something questionable, and how the dust settled. Remember Kate Moss and her cocaine photo? Or Kristen Stewart and her tryst with director Rupert Sanders! OMG.
1. Zayn Malik Quits One Direction After "Cheating" Photo Surfaces
Yikes. Global pop star Zayn Malik, of One Direction fame, was in Thailand this week where things seem to have gotten, well, hype at the after-party. A fan began snapping photos of Zayn with a young woman, Lauren, who was most certainly not his fiancee, Perrie Edwards. In two different shots, Zayn has his arms wrapped around Lauren and then clenching her palms, respectively.
It's hard to say Malik was cheating on Edwards - I mean, c'mon there's no kissing involved in these photos! - but the singer cancelled a couple tour stops with his band to fly back and be with (mend?) things with his fiancee. No idea how this will all pan out, but DAMN does it suck to be Zayn Malik right now!
2. Kate Moss Gets Caught Doing Cocaine
When you're a top model, representing the world's most luxury brands, you do not want to make any missteps. Because missteps = lost $$. Well, Kate Moss didn't quite understand the rules, and was snapped taking lines of cocaine in a recording studio with then boyfriend, Pete Doherty. When the photo landed Moss on the front page of UK's The Daily Mirror, mid-snort, she lost nearly all of her contracts.
The top model was put out of work for years. It's only recently that she's been able to regain her footing, now the face of Stuart Weitzman, Rimmel London, and more.
3. Kristen Stewart Caught Cheating on Robert Pattinson, Twilight Fans Die Inside
Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson's long-time relationship was a thing of lore. They had been on-camera lovers, and off-camera best friends; their relationship seemed impenetrable. But it crashed and burned swiftly, thanks to a couple of photos.
Stewart was abroad filming the hit Snow White and the Huntsman when she met its director Rupert Sanders. According to US Weekly, she began showing up to set early to film with the director, and over time became very close to Sanders, who was married with two children. When back in LA, the two were caught in a very hot make-out session on a balcony overlooking the hills (I mean, could it get any sexier!). As the photos made their way to US Weekly, Twitter and Twilight fans went into a frenzy, calling Kristen every mean word under the sun.
Soon after, Rupert Sanders filed for divorce from his wife, Liberty Ross. As for Stewart and Pattinson, they broke up, then got back together, and broke up again. Now Pattinson is dating singer FKA Twigs, while rumors are swirling that Stewart has a new woman in her life.