Gwyneth Paltrow reportedly asked her celebrity friends recently not to divulge any information about her to the press should they be asked–specifically Vanity Fair–in an email that was eventually leaked to the media. Editor-in-chief Graydon Carter has confirmed that they are indeed working on a story about Paltrow, and there’s been some speculation that it won’t be a pretty one. Now, rumor has it that the magazine is doing the piece on a possible affair between the actress and billionaire hotelier Jeff Soffer.

“She has been friends for him for a long time. Chris [Martin] is friends with him as well. He flew down a dozen friends. There was no romantic relationship,” said Paltrow’s rep.

But something sure has Paltrow spooked, if the leaked email has been quoted correctly. In it, she pleads with her friends not to comment on anything to the magazine and even urges them not to associate themselves with it.

“Vanity Fair is threatening to put me on the cover of their magazine,” Paltrow reportedly wrote. “If you are asked for quotes or comments, please decline. Also, I recommend you all never do this magazine again.”

As for Carter, he says that Paltrow’s email has only “forced his hand” when it comes to running the article.

“We wouldn’t be doing our job if there wasn’t a little bit of tension between Vanity Fair and its subjects,” he said. “In any given week, I can expect to hear from a disgruntled subject in Hollywood, Washington, or on Wall Street. That’s the nature of the beast.”

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