Erin Andrews says the 2008 release of nude videos a stalker secretly recorded of her have caused emotional distress and issues in her relationships with men.
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Andrews, 37, is currently dating Jarret Stoll. While she didn't reveal his name in her testimony, she confirmed her significant other is a professional hockey player for the Minnesota Wild, which accurately describes Stoll.
Andrews testified how her colleague Michael Strahan initially set the couple up on a date.
"[Strahan] said, 'I have a guy I'd like to take you out to dinner' and I looked him up and I said, 'Eh, I'm not interested, I don't need that in my life right now,'" Andrews said in a Nashville court, according to ABC News.
Heading into her first date with Stoll, Andrews claimed she was obsessing over, "Has he seen the video? Has his friends seen the video?" Her confidence was clearly damaged.
"I feel really guilty [Stoll] didn't know me before this happened, and to try to explain to someone who has questions about why I have trust issues, why I'm insecure, why I'm embarrassed; he doesn't understand," Andrews explained while crying.
"I feel sad because I think he would have loved the girl more that was there before this happened and I feel very guilty about that. I want to be the cool sports reporter [and] Dancing with the Stars host. I don't want him to see this."
Alleging negligence and invasion of privacy, Andrews sued Michael Barrett, the convicted stalker who filmed the videos and shared them online; West End Partners, who own the Nashville Marriott at Vanderbilt University where she was staying to cover a football game for ESPN; and the Windsor Capital Group, who manage the hotel.
Andrews accused hotel employees of disclosing her room number to Barrett, who in turn booked the room next door and gouged the peephole into her hotel room door. Barrett was already sentenced back in 2010 to two-and-a-half years in prison.
Andrews testified Tuesday that she dreads the day her future children and grandchildren come across the footage of her walking around in a hotel room nude. Andrews confessed she's "ashamed" and "angry" because the Nashville Marriott could've done something to stop the stalking incident before it happened.
The sports reporter has also become very paranoid when traveling and staying in hotels. According to ABC News, Andrews sets "booby traps," switches rooms at the last minute, refuses to allow people to enter her room, checks for recording devices and covers the peepholes.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
