American therapist and writer (1981–2020) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Amie Nicole Harwick (May 20, 1981 – February 15, 2020) was an American marriage and family therapist, sex therapist, and writer. She was the author of The New Sex Bible for Women: The Complete Guide to Sexual Self-Awareness and Intimacy, published in 2014. In 2018, she was briefly the fiancée of comedian Drew Carey. She was murdered in 2020 by an ex-boyfriend, Gareth Pursehouse, who was subsequently sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Amie Harwick | |
|---|---|
Harwick in January 2020 | |
| Born | Amie Nicole Harwick May 20, 1981 |
| Died | February 15, 2020 (aged 38) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Murder |
| Burial place | Whitemarsh Memorial Park, Ambler, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Other names |
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| Alma mater | |
| Occupation(s) | Family and sex counselor |
| Organization | Pineapple Support |
| Notable work | Author of The New Sex Bible for Women (2014) ISBN 1592336418 |
| Website | Official website |
Harwick was adopted as a child.[1] She worked as a Playboy model[2] (under the name Nicolette Novak) and dance performer to pay for her postsecondary education. She studied psychology at California State Polytechnic University in Pomona, earned a Master of Arts degree from Pepperdine University in clinical psychology and Ph.D. from the non-accredited Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality, and later became a licensed marriage and family therapist.[3] Harwick was a well-known therapist in West Hollywood, specializing in family and sex counseling. She regularly appeared on podcasts, TV, and her YouTube channel to discuss her work.[4] She was the author of the book The New Sex Bible for Women: The Complete Guide to Sexual Self-Awareness and Intimacy, published in 2014.[5]
At the time of her murder, she had started working with Pineapple Support, an organization of sex-work-positive mental health professionals that had been founded in late 2017 in the wake of a rash of adult-industry suicides.[6]
Harwick and comedian Drew Carey first met at a party in the summer of 2017. Carey posted a photo of them together on Instagram with the caption: "The face of a lottery winner (L)." Within a year Carey proposed to her and they became engaged.[7] The engagement was called off in 2018 and the split was reported as amicable.[8] After her death, Carey told NBC that Harwick was "A positive force in the world and an unapologetic champion of women."[9]
On February 15, 2020, Harwick was found beaten under the balcony of her Los Angeles home and later died at a hospital. The initial investigation found that she had been strangled and thrown from the third floor after a home invasion.[2] Authorities identified the suspect as her 45-year-old ex-boyfriend Gareth Pursehouse, whom she had dated for 18 months in the early 2010s, and against whom she had twice filed restraining orders following their breakup.[10] The month before her death, Harwick had encountered Pursehouse at the XBIZ Awards, an awards ceremony for the adult entertainment industry.[11] Arrested the day after her death, Pursehouse was charged with her murder, with the special circumstance of lying in wait, breaking and entering, and home burglary.[12] He was released under a $2 million bond and arrested again after he pled not guilty on April 16, 2020.[13][14] His trial began on August 29, 2023. On September 29, 2023, Pursehouse was convicted of Harwick’s murder. On December 6, 2023, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.[15]
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| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | The Devil's Muse | Jeannette Bauer[16] | listed Amie Nicole |
| 2016 | Noirland | Dr. Anouschka Berman | listed as Amie Nicole |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Blabber Box | Mechanic's Girlfriend | Episode: "3" |
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