Amie Harwick wanted to protect women, but in the end she was the one in danger
GAIL SHORTLAND
After finding the strength to put an abusive relationship behind her, Dr Amie Harwick was determined to use her negative experience to help other women. Amie, 38, was a successful Hollywood sex therapist. As well as working with private clients, she specialised in supporting sex workers. She knew what it was like to feel vulnerable.
Amie graduated in Philadelphia, then moved to LA in 2001 to follow her dreams of being a therapist. She worked as a model, a dancer and even a party planner, but it was all to pay her way through college. She studied psychology and would eventually secure her license to be a family and sex therapist.
While Amie was attending parties with work in 2009, she kept running into Gareth Pursehouse, who was a photographer and aspiring comic. They dated for two years, but Amie didn’t share much of their relationship with her family. They suspect it was because she wasn’t happy and knew it wasn’t going to work.
And they were right. Amie filed police reports alleging that Pursehouse had choked her and took photos as evidence. When they split in 2012, Pursehouse wouldn’t leave Amie alone. She even believed her ex had broken into her home, taken photos and tampered with her computer.
Amie took out two restraining orders – the last one ended in 2015 – and believed her troubles were behind her. She then used this difficult period in her life to help others. She spoke out about women’s abuse and wrote a book about sexual self-awareness. She had found her true calling and became a passionate advocate for women.
Having worked hard, Amie got a three-storey house in the Hollywood hills, which she shared with a male housemate. For a while, she found love again and it brought her brief fame. She met actor and comedian Drew Carey at a party in Las Vegas and they quickly got engaged. She even appeared on a Valentine’s Day special episode of The Price Is Right, which Drew famously presented. It didn’t last, but after they broke up, they remained friends – but Amie would soon be troubled by another break-up from her past.
In January 2020, she attended an awards show in LA, and while she was smiling on the red carpet, she stopped in her tracks when she saw Pursehouse, who was there taking photos. They hadn’t seen each other in years and the restraining order had expired five ye
