Kimberly Quinn, born in 1961 as Kimberly Solomon in Los Angeles, California, formerly Kimberly Fortier, is an American journalist, commentator, and magazine publisher, most recently of The Spectator.
Her affair with Labour Home Secretary David Blunkett led to his December 2004 resignation.
A native of Los Angeles, California, she is one of two daughters of businessman Marvin Solomon and his actress wife Lugene Sanders. She majored in "Victorian Studies" at Vassar College and later studied at Oxford University. She worked at Cosmopolitan magazine and then edited Woman's Day. Subsequently she has written for several publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Vogue, Erotic Review, and UK newspapers The Daily Telegraph, The Times, Evening Standard, and The Independent. Before taking her position at The Spectator in 1996, she was the Communications and Marketing Director for Condé Nast Publications in the UK.
In 1987 she married American investment banker Michael Fortier; the couple divorced in 2000 following revelations of her affair with publisher Stephen Quinn. The following year she married Quinn, the managing editor of Vogue and GQ magazines. Despite her reported affair with The Mr Blunkett, the couple reconciled in 2004.
Mrs Quinn's affair with Blunkett, which reportedly began shortly after her wedding to Mr Quinn, ended acrimoniously in mid 2004. During that period Mrs Quinn gave birth to one son and became pregnant with a second child. David Blunkett contended that he was the father of both children, although Mr Quinn (who had a vasectomy reversal operation following his wedding) and Mrs Quinn both strongly denied this. However, DNA tests later proved that Mr Blunkett is the father of Mrs Quinn's eldest child, William (see David Blunkett paternity case).
Following the end of the affair, moves by Blunkett to gain informal access to the first child were rejected by Mrs Quinn and in early December 2004 Blunkett petitioned the Family Division of the High Court to grant him legal access. Mrs Quinn, heavily pregnant, was admitted to hospital prior to the hearing; her petition that it should be deferred (on the grounds of her ill-health) until her child was born was rejected. The matter remains sub judice.
Controversy around a number of matters arising from the affair, particularly concerns over the handling of Mrs Quinn's nanny's visa, contributed to Mr Blunkett's resignation in mid-December 2004. A number of newspapers alleged that Mrs Quinn had given details of these matters (which also included her use of government-issued rail tickets and his having supposedly told her classified information) to the press, as part of her strategy in opposing Mr Blunkett's legal petition.
Shortly after Blunkett's resignation it was revealed by the News of the World that Mrs Quinn had also had an affair with Simon Hoggart, a political journalist and regular contributor to The Spectator.
On February 2, 2005, Quinn gave birth to a second son, Lorcan. A month later, on March 4, Blunkett announced that DNA tests had revealed that he was not the father of Quinn's second child. Stephen Quinn angrily denounced Blunkett's renewed interference in his family's life the following day. It also emerged that Stephen Quinn was not the child's father either.
In 1987 she married American investment banker Michael Fortier; the couple divorced in 2000 following revelations of her affair with publisher Stephen Quinn. The following year she married Quinn, the managing editor of Vogue and GQ magazines. Despite her reported affair with The Mr Blunkett, the couple reconciled in 2004.
Mrs Quinn's affair with Blunkett, which reportedly began shortly after her wedding to Mr Quinn, ended acrimoniously in mid 2004. During that period Mrs Quinn gave birth to one son and became pregnant with a second child. David Blunkett contended that he was the father of both children, although Mr Quinn (who had a vasectomy reversal operation following his wedding) and Mrs Quinn both strongly denied this. However, DNA tests later proved that Mr Blunkett is the father of Mrs Quinn's eldest child, William (see David Blunkett paternity case).
Following the end of the affair, moves by Blunkett to gain informal access to the first child were rejected by Mrs Quinn and in early December 2004 Blunkett petitioned the Family Division of the High Court to grant him legal access. Mrs Quinn, heavily pregnant, was admitted to hospital prior to the hearing; her petition that it should be deferred (on the grounds of her ill-health) until her child was born was rejected. The matter remains sub judice.
Controversy around a number of matters arising from the affair, particularly concerns over the handling of Mrs Quinn's nanny's visa, contributed to Mr Blunkett's resignation in mid-December 2004. A number of newspapers alleged that Mrs Quinn had given details of these matters (which also included her use of government-issued rail tickets and his having supposedly told her classified information) to the press, as part of her strategy in opposing Mr Blunkett's legal petition.
Shortly after Blunkett's resignation it was revealed by the News of the World that Mrs Quinn had also had an affair with Simon Hoggart, a political journalist and regular contributor to The Spectator.
On February 2, 2005, Quinn gave birth to a second son, Lorcan. A month later, on March 4, Blunkett announced that DNA tests had revealed that he was not the father of Quinn's second child. Stephen Quinn angrily denounced Blunkett's renewed interference in his family's life the following day. It also emerged that Stephen Quinn was not the child's father either.
Personal Memoir
I knew Kimberly when she was still a 'Fortier.' 'She was Southbridge, Mass.,' I thought. Because of her French-Canadian -- not French -- surname, of course. I had met her at an American Embassy soireé, feting the election of the American president -- Bill Clinton, again. 'Charming, bright, attractive,' according to my notes of this encounter. I remembered, as well, that she was sporting a small male doll figurine on her coat lapel. 'What's that?' I ask. 'Oh, it's my Bill Clinton doll,' she responded in a vague accent. British-ish, I thought. 'When I'm not watching, though, it grabs my tit.'
Jeez, I was having fun. Missed the last Tube back Richmond. Took a cab. Oh, well.
-- Richard Carreño