Star Magazine defends Kanye cheating story; Kim’s friend says it’s all lies

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Gossip outlets offer competing versions of Kanye West cheating allegations

NEW YORK – Star Magazine ran an explosive interview this week with model Leyla Ghobadi, who claimed she had slept with Kanye West while he was dating Kim Kardashian.

West denied the claim, telling FOX411 in a statement that Ghobadi's claims were "a blatant attempt by a misguided individual who is clearly seeking publicity, and another in a series of malicious stories drummed up by non-credible 'news' sources."

Editor in Chief of HollywoodLife.com, Bonnie Fuller -- formerly the top editor at Star --  also jumped to West's defense. She said Kardashian's best friend Jonathan Cheban told her website the cheating allegation were completely false.

“The two dates this woman said she had been with Kanye, Kim was with them on those dates, and Jonathan was there too," Fuller said. "Apparently Kim was at the concern that Leyla said she was first approached by the bodyguard and asked to meet Kanye. After the concert, some of the other people, their entourage, were going to go to the club that Leyla then said they met at the next night. They never ended up making it to the club because they were all tired. Kim and Kanye decided not to go and went upstairs both nights they were together.”

But Star's Deputy Editor Matt Coppa defended his magazine's story.

“A friend of Leyla’s approached us about it and we reached out to Leyla and we spoke to her about. She was feeling bad because originally when they were together, Kanye had told her that him and Kim were not serious, that they were just together for publicity to increase their fan bases, so she didn’t feel guilty about sleeping with him. But once she found out that Kim was pregnant, she obviously had reservations,” Coppa said.  “As recently as two weeks ago, Kanye West’s people contacted Leyla for a meet up the weekend June 7th through June 9th where Kanye was going to be in New York City for the Governor’s Ball. “

Coppa said Star also saw evidence.

“There was (a phone record). We saw that. We didn’t print that in the magazine. We have seen that,” said Coppa.

He also chalked up Kardashian's friend's claim to damage control.

“They will go after every outlet they can and they’ll use all the people that they know to sort of defend themselves in every sort of situation," Coppa said. "They’re very ravenous as far as that goes because their empire is at stake.”