Where is Jocelyn Wildenstein now? Inside the highs and lows of a famous socialite’s life

Jocelyn Wildenstein may not necessarily be a household name, but she has an undeniable face.

Nicknamed “Catwoman,” the New York socialite became a tabloid regular after her divorce from billionaire art dealer husband Alec Wildenstein in the 1990s, and her unique facial features made her The center of attention. Despite her fame, she rarely speaks publicly, which she says is a choice Paper 2018 was intentional.

“When my children grow up, I don’t want to talk about family. I don’t want it to fall on them,” she said. “But now they are adults, so I’m free and can speak freely. But before so many events happened, their godfather died, then their father died, and then they got divorced. So for some 16 and 17 That’s a lot for the 20-year-old kids now that they’re grown up.

Here’s everything you need to know about Jocelyn Wildenstein, from the beginning of her fame to her life today.

Who is Jocelyn Wildenstein?

Born in Lausanne, Switzerland, Jocelyn spent her childhood swimming at the local lake in the summer and skiing in the nearby mountains in the winter. she told interview Magazines called her childhood “wonderful,” but it was in Paris, where she moved with her then-boyfriend, Swiss film director Cyril Piguet, that she developed a love of glamour.

She also loves Africa and describes it as new york magazine It is known as “Paradise” for its adventurous spirit and wildlife. In 1977, at the age of 31, she visited Ol Jogi, a game reserve and ranch in Kenya, and met Alec Wildenstein, part (and later full) owner of Ol Jogi, an art dealer, horse breeder, and Billionaire heir to business fortune. Jocelyn said the night they met, they were hunting and unable to speak, but shared their first kiss. A few days later, Jocelyn returned to Paris to live with another boyfriend, Italian film producer Sergio Gobi, while Alec moved to New York, where he also lived.

jocelyn told new york magazine She and Alec missed each other, and he sent enough white orchids to her favorite Paris salon to completely fill it, making it difficult for her to get in. Soon after, he visited her in Paris and proposed to her over dinner. They married in Las Vegas on April 30, 1978, just months after they first met.

Jocelyn and Alec have been together for nearly 20 years and have son Alec Jr. and daughter Diane, Jocelyn boasts vanity fair They typically spend around $1 million per month on a lavish lifestyle.

The family remained under the radar – until April 1997, when Alec filed for divorce. At home. She told police Alec brandished a gun at her and he was arrested, new york times the report said. Alec was released on his own recognizance and ordered to stay away from Jocelyn and banned from their Manhattan home. Since their split, Jocelyn has become a household name.

Why does Jocelyn Wildenstein have so many surgeries?

Alec claims that he and Jocelyn had their first plastic surgeries together about a year after they were married, opting for his and hers eye lifts. vanity fair. After that, Jocelyn reportedly went on to have surgeries, later claiming she had plastic surgery in part because Alec “hated being around old people.”

After multiple surgeries over the years, Jocelyn’s face earned her the public nickname “Catwoman,” but she didn’t necessarily dislike the nickname. However, she insists that some of her facial features are partly natural. she told vanity fair“Bobcats have perfect eyes. If I show you a picture of my grandmother, what you see are these eyes—cat eyes—and high cheekbones.”

“When she doesn’t recover from something, I guess I don’t know her anymore,” one of Jocelyn’s friends once said.

What happened during Jocelyn Wildenstein’s divorce?

Alec and Jocelyn’s divorce proceedings lasted nearly two years, with the estranged couple dishing out a lot of dirty laundry in court, including Alec’s accusation that Jocelyn was Madame Claude, the owner of a famous Paris brothel before they met. of prostitutes (Jocelyn denies this).

According to Reuters, after the case was concluded, Jocelyn was ordered to pay $2.5 billion in damages and receive an additional $100 million per year for the next 13 years. Another unique thing about Wildenstein is that the judge in the divorce case reportedly ordered Jocelyn not to use any of the settlement money for plastic surgery.

In 2018, Jocelyn told Paper Her breakup with Alec was sad considering they had such a long and loving history. She also accused him of fueling public speculation about her plastic surgery.

“We did a lot of stuff together, doing art together, which was a lovely job. We also built a lot of stuff in Africa, so we had a great time together,” she said. “I don’t know, you think you know someone and then suddenly something happens and they’re not the same person anymore. It’s hard to believe they can change so much. You see such a different side.”

Is Jocelyn Wildenstein married?

Jocelyn is currently engaged to her longtime love, fashion designer Lloyd Klein. While they are now inseparable, their relationship has been tumultuous in the past.

Jocelyn and Klein began dating after meeting at New York Fashion Week in 2003, and the Canadian-born Klein told People that they often spoke in French early in their relationship. He recalled that their romance became rocky around 2008, when Jocelyn sold her home in New York City and moved into a unit at Trump Apartments. Klein claimed that Jocelyn sometimes suffered from violent mood swings, which came to a head in December 2016, when Klein claimed that Jocelyn was facing “financial stress.”

“She flew into a rage,” Klein said, adding that Jocelyn allegedly threw a burning candle in his face, scratched him with her fingernails and even tried to stab him in the side with a “tiny” pair of scissors. Chest.

Joslyn called 911, and police arrested Klein and charged him with assault, robbery, vandalism and grand larceny for allegedly stealing an iPhone and credit card. Jocelyn was arrested on two counts of assault. Authorities dropped charges against Klein in January 2017, citing a lack of evidence, and new york post Jocelyn’s charges were reportedly dismissed the next month as the couple reconciled.

In July 2017, Klein and Jocelyn told daily mail They were engaged, and their respective arrests made them realize how much they missed each other while they were apart. Their happiness was a bit short-lived: Page six According to reports, the couple was arrested again in early November 2017 after a physical altercation, but reconciled later that month.

Where is Jocelyn Wildenstein now?

Jocelyn reportedly filed for bankruptcy in 2018 after experiencing a series of financial problems, including nearly being evicted from an apartment. Page six.

In June 2023, Jocelyn told telegraph Her lack of funds stems from being cut off from her huge divorce settlement, which she claims has been “completely severed” over the past eight years. She and Crane said they plan to make a documentary series about her life, and Crane has another goal: “I want to do a film series about Jocelyn’s life, and I want Jennifer Lawrence to play young Jo. Slim. His choice for Alec? Oscar winner Rami Malek.

In December 2023, Jocelyn told interview The magazine said she frequently flies from Miami to New York, Paris and Canada, has a commercial pilot’s license and enjoys flying. “I was happy,” she said of her life after her divorce from Alec. “I found freedom, no longer having to follow a plan, I was suddenly free to appreciate it.”