Kate Spade's sister says she tried to send her to the same treatment as Catherine Zeta-Jones

In an open letter with Kansas Star Newspaper, Kate Spade's sister, Reta Saffo, spoke out about the beloved late designer who took her own life Tuesday morning, June 5.

While Kate Spade was known for her bright colors and charming prints, we have learned that her personal life was on the darker side. After months of Saffo trying to convince her sister to seek help, she was very close to sending her to the same treatment facility that actress Catherine Zeta-Jones successfully went to for her mental illness. The Academy Award-winner underwent treatment in 2016 after a very public battle with bipolar disorder.

“I’d come so VERY close to getting her to go in for treatment (to the same place Catherine Zeta-Jones went for her successful bipolar treatment program). I’d spoken with them on the phone (not telling them exactly who the patient would be). They agreed to fly in and talk with her and take her with them to the treatment center,” Saffo wrote.

“She was all set to go — but then chickened out by morning. I even said I (would) go with her and be a ‘patient’ too (she liked that idea) . . . That seemed to make her more comfortable, and we’d get sooo close to packing her bags, but — in the end, the ‘image’ of her brand (happy-go-lucky Kate Spade) was more important for her to keep up. She was definitely worried about what people would say if they found out.”

Read the full email from Spade's sister here.