Sister slams Minnelli-Gest 'freak-show'

Liza Minnelli has been turned into “a freak show” by David Gest, the husband she is divorcing, according to her sister, Lorna Luft, who has little sympathy for them.

“I’m not feeling sorry for people who get themselves into these situations. Live and learn,” she told the New York Daily News.

Luft also harsh some harsh words for Gest. “I met him five minutes,” she said, “and then he went around telling people he was going to keep me out of her life. I didn’t have any of her phone numbers. He wouldn’t allow me or my children to talk to her.

“I find their behaviour odd and strange. I think it’s sad. My sister was once a very respected and admired star. Now he’s turned her into a freak show.”

A spokesman for Minnelli and Gest confirmed they had separated and are heading for the divorce court. He is living in their new house in Hawaii while she is in Beverly Hills.

They were married in March last year at a lavish New York ceremony with a reception attended by more than 800 guests. The bride was given away by Michael Jackson.

In March they had to tell 1,200 friends invited to a party for their first wedding anniversary that the celebration was cancelled because Minnelli, the daughter of Judy Garland, had reentered a drug-and-alcohol addiction treatment centre.