As the story goes, many years ago a young Natalie Guercio was bartending to pay the bills when she came across a struggling musician named Ryan Banks.
"He was someone I knew from the neighborhood," said Guercio, now a breakout star on VH1's hit show Mob Wives. "He was always trying to get famous."
Fast forward many years and Natalie now has her platform on Mob Wives while Ryan is still trying to get his name out there... and it's even more salient now that hip hop is the dominant musical force on the airwaves.
Recently, Natalie - who is in a committed relationship with London Rene, and who also has a young child - was at the receiving end of a firestorm of controversy when 42-year-old Banks sold a photo of the duo kissing to Radar Online. At the time, Banks gave an interview to the popular gossip outlet, stating that he was regularly hooking up with Natalie in the studio... even though he's married with a pregnant young wife.
"Natalie and I have known each other for years, but my friends claim once I got married, Natalie got jealous of my wife, and she's become like a crazy ex-girlfriend—even though she has her own boyfriend she should be worrying about," he said.
"From what my friends tell me, she's only doing this because she wants my wife's life but is stuck with London. She was not and will NEVER be my girl. I love my wife. I think (Natalie) has a lot of issues—and clearly thrives off drama."
Latin Post sat down with Natalie to discuss what went down between her and Banks. "None of this is true," said Natalie. "I'm shocked, absolutely shocked, that he would behave this way towards me."We were never personally involved," she continued. "We knew each other from around the neighborhood. He would frequently go to clubs—and I would see this, because I would be working there as a bartender—and tell people, 'Don't you know who I am? I'm Ryan Banks!' And of course, no one would know him."
Needless to say, this latest bit of controversy sparked interest in Guercio and Banks' collaborative single, "Delicious"... for which he isn't giving her a red-hot dime.
"It was supposed to be a fun thing," Natalie says of the song. "I just find this whole thing very ridiculous."
They also discussed the "incriminating" photo that Radar Online published showing Guercio locking lips with Banks. Though Radar claims the pic was from 2013, the Mob Wife in question looks significantly younger.
"That was taken many years ago," she explained. "As I said before, we were never personally involved, and I never had a romantic relationship with him, ever. I went to kiss him on the cheek, and he turned his face so I ended up kissing him on the lips. [London] finds the whole situation funny, he laughed at the notion that I would cheat on him, especially with Ryan."
Natalie, who says she has the support of Big Ang and Alicia during this ordeal, says that she's trying to move on from the situation, and she recognizes this latest bit of controversy for what it is.
"This is a desperate attempt from an up-and-coming, 'struggle' rapper/producer, to garner publicity for his project. This is the first, last, and only time I will address this matter, and the only reason I'm addressing it now is to put the truth out there once and for all."
There you have it. What do you think of all of this? Who do you beleive? Tell us in the comment section below!
Source: Latin Post
Photo Credit: VH1