Alec Baldwin broke down in tears when he took to the stand earlier this week to testify against Genevieve Sabourin, the woman he is alleging had stalked him and harassed both him and his wife for years. On Wednesday, 13 November, it was Genevieve's time to take to the stand at the Manhattan Criminal Court and give her side of the story, one that was significantly different to the account Alec had given earlier.

The aspiring French-Canadian actress claims that her affair with Alec began in February 2010, when the actor escorted her on a romantic, day-long date around New York City, which was followed by months of letter exchanges that suggested Baldwin had genuine feelings for Sabourin. The 41-year-old defendant went on to describe a month-long telephone correspondance between the two, one that was heavy with flirting, which eventually led to the pair meeting up in the Big Apple, the New York Times reports.

“He’s a professional charmer, he’s the best in the world,” she told the court, reminiscing the supposed meet-up they had. She claimed that their weekend together began with a drive through Central Park, after which Baldwin took her to see a popular Broadway play before heading to the glitzy Elio’s Restaurant, where they shared an intimate meal. Sabourin then claimed that the night ended when he took her to the Hotel Lowell, where the two had sexual intercourse, she claims. She testified, “It was a beautiful, romantic evening.”

Her testimony contrasted dramatically with the one that Baldwin had given at the beginning of the week, with the actor insisting he met with Sabourin only once for a discussion about her acting career. He vehemently denied ever having sexual relations with her and stated that he had only ever been in touch with Sabourin to discuss her career, until she began stalking and harassing him that was.

Throughout Baldwin's testimony, Sabourin routinely interrupted the actor and accused him of lying, but claimed to the press - who she had been openly talking with at the beginning of the case - she had the right to do so as she had turned down the offer to have a translator. Wednesday's proceedings had only just begun when presiding judge Robert M. Mandelbaum finally lost patience and ordered her to spend 30 days in jail for contempt of court, beginning after the day's court session.

Sabourin broke down in tears and attempted to give an excuse in broken English about how the pressures of the trial had gotten to her and she was under serious stress as a result. When it was her time to take to the stand however, her sunny disposition had returned as she described the relationship she shared with "a man my heart, my body and my soul was attached to."

Genevieve Sabourin
Genevieve Sabourin spoke openly with the press following Baldwin's testimony

Sabourin said she and Baldwin met in 2000 when she was a publicist and aspiring actor working on the flop sci-fi comedy The Adventures of Pluto Nash, which Baldwin had a cameo appearance in. Both sides agree that they went to Elio's Restaurant in February 2010, but they each recount a very different agenda. Whilst Sabourin claims they kept their relationship going with corresponding emails, Baldwin claims that he gave up on responding to them when she began getting obsessive and stopped talking about her career so she could talk about marrying the star instead. Baldwin claims she harassed him online for two years, begging him to marry her.

Baldwin's claim goes on to state that things got worse when he became engaged to his now-wife Hilaria Baldwin in spring 2012, at which point Sabourin began showing up unannounced at his homes in Amagansett, Long Island, and in Greenwich Village. Sabourin on the other hand claims that Baldwin started their affair and led her on until the one night stand, after which he ditched her in the morning and stopped returning her calls and emails. She testified, "It’s not, because he’s rich and famous, that he can take advantage of women and throw them in the garbage. I am entitled to ask for closure.”

Alec Hilaria Baldwin
Alec claims things began to resemble a "Hitchcock movie" around the time he got engaged to Hilaria