V Stiviano in Counseling Amid Death Threats; Has Tapes of Donald Sterling's Wife Shelly? (VIDEO)
V Stiviano, the woman at the center of the Donald Sterling racism scandal, is said to be living in counseling after being bombarded with death threats.
The Los Angeles resident, 31, was thrust into the spotlight last week after explosive audio tapes featuring her and Sterling were made public. The socialite, claiming to be Sterling's "archivist" but rumored to be his girlfriend, is believed to have recorded the Los Angeles Clippers' owner's foul-mouthed racist rant, however, it is unclear whether she is responsible for leaking the audio to the press.
TO LISTEN TO THE RACIST AUDIO OF DONALD STERLING CLICK HERE
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"V started getting death threats almost immediately after Sterling's racist rants — which she recorded — were made public," a source told RadarOnline.com.
"Most of the threats were made on social media, and this is one of the reasons why she has scaled back her activity. It has been very scary for V, and she also hired a bodyguard," the insider revealed adding "V has also been in contact with a counselor to deal with the stress of the fallout of the scandal."
TO SEE PHOTOS OF V STIVIANO ON INSTAGRAM CLICK HERE
Sterling, 80, has since been ousted by the NBA with the franchise's commissioner Adam Silver announcing the disgraced business magnate's lifetime ban from the league and $2.5 million fine on Tuesday.
Silver said Sterling's remarks were "contrary to the principles of inclusion and respect that form the foundation of our diverse, multicultural and multiethnic league," at a press conference Tuesday.
Stiviano is reportedly being sued by Sterling's estranged wife Rochelle "Shelly" Stein for allegedly embezzling $1.8 million of Shelly and Sterling's money during the four years she has been working for the billionaire. She reportedly met him at the 2010 Super Bowl.
Backlash stemming from Sterling's racist rant prompted a number of Clippers' sponsors to pull out and has led to other legal and financial problems.
In the audio, Stiviano and Sterling appear to be arguing over a now deleted photo the socialite posted on social networking site Instagram of herself alongside NBA legend Magic Johnson. At one point he makes a disturbing request that Stiviano, who is of black and Mexican descent, stop "associating with black people" in public.
"It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you're associating with black people. Do you have to?" Sterling is heard saying in the tape.
"You can sleep with [black people]. You can bring them in, you can do whatever you want. The little I ask you is not to promote it on that ... and not to bring them to my games," he goes on. "Don't put [Magic] on an Instagram for the world to have to see so they have to call me. And don't bring him to my games."
Stiviano is believed to have additional audio recordings, some of which reportedly feature Shelly.
"The remainder of the audiotapes are in a secure and safe location," the insider shared.
"While Shelly doesn't make any racist comments, it gives the public an inside look into who she really is behind closed doors," the source went on. "She also swears like a sailor. Her tapes will definitely raise eyebrows."
Shelly and Sterling have been married for 50 years and they shared three children, one son reportedly died in 2013.
A source claims that while Shelly immediately released a statement distancing herself from Sterling's racist views after the audio was made public, she has been aware of his intolerance for some time.
"She was absolutely aware of Donald's racist views, and did nothing to distance herself in the past from it," the insider said.
