From one of the wealthiest people on the planet to ‘flat broke’: How did ‘Catwoman’ Jocelyn Wildenstein lose all her billions as star dies aged 84

Jocelyn Wildenstein was once one of the richest people in the world after marrying a French-born American billionaire in the 1970s.

But the late socialite, who was nicknamed Catwoman for her pronounced cat eyes and lion-like facial features, claimed she was broke in 2023 after her annual $100 million divorce settlement was cut off.

The Swiss-born star came from humble beginnings before marrying Alec N. Wildenstein, the son of French art dealer and horse breeder Daniel Wildenstein, in 1978.

Their family controlled Wildenstein & Co., an influential art dealership in Paris, and after Jocelyn and Alec split, she became one of the richest people in the world.

The couple divorced in 1999 and the financial settlement more than paid off for her $2 billion, plus millions more per year.

Although he filed for divorce in Switzerland, where Jocelyn was less likely to receive a significant divorce settlement, she ultimately received what should have been a windfall: a reported $2.5 billion.

In addition, her ex-husband would receive her $100 million per year for thirteen years, and later his estate after his death in 2008 at the age of 67.

However, her ex-husband’s family stopped the payments in 2015 and despite amassing more wealth than most people could ever imagine, Jocelyn managed to squander it through extravagant purchases for plastic surgery, clothing, jewelry, art and even tens of thousands of dollars. on annual telephone bills.

She filed for bankruptcy in 2018.

At the time, The Sunday Times reported, Jocelyn listed her checking account balance as “$0,” despite still having millions of dollars in assets – most of which were property.

Her three luxury apartments in Trump Tower were also seized.

She claimed to Page Six that the vast majority of her wealth had disappeared because one of the paintings that were part of the trust set up for her in the divorce settlement, attributed to Diego Velázquez, turned out to be a forgery.

Meanwhile, a Cézanne that was expected to cost about $35 at auction only sold for $4.7 million.

In June 2023, Jocelyn claimed she was broke after having no income for eight years after her ex-husband’s family cut her off from her annual $100 million divorce settlement.

“I have a big problem with my settlement,” she said The Sunday times, ‘For eight years they have completely cut me off.’

She claimed she had no money, adding: ‘Zero, nothing in eight years.’

Jocelyn also spent her money on numerous cosmetic surgeries and was completely unrecognizable in the 1990s.

They left her with slanted cat eyes, a prominent chin and exaggerated cheekbones, which some compare to the face of a lion.

Despite the obvious change in her appearance, she once bizarrely claimed that she had never had plastic surgery and said her appearance stemmed from her Swiss heritage.

However, her ex-husband Alec insisted she had work done, telling Vanity Fair: ‘She was crazy. I would always be the last to find out. She thought she could fix her face like a piece of furniture. That’s not how the skin works. But she wouldn’t listen.’

Jocelyn denied that he “hired a publicist and paid a plastic surgeon to confirm that I had completely changed my face” to win the divorce, she stated.

When Jocelyn asked in 2018 if she had had surgery, she replied: ‘No, especially when we look back at my photos – of course I think I might be more beautiful [back then].

More recently, she has admitted to having undergone a number of procedures, although she downplayed their impact.

“I haven’t had any plastic surgery, I’m scared of what might happen and I don’t like having anything heavy, sometimes it’s a bit heavy and horrible,” she told The Sun in November.

She also said that she had not had any fillers and had heard unhappy stories from those who had.

“I don’t like the Botox,” she said, before adding, “Everyone reacts to it differently.

‘I’ve only had Botox twice. I don’t know if I’m allergic, but when I had it, I didn’t do well. It wasn’t a good result, my face swelled up.’

After her divorce, Jocelyn started dating fashion designer Lloyd Klein in 2003.

Jocelyn died on Tuesday in Paris from a pulmonary embolism.

The star was taking a nap in a Parisian palace at the time of her death, it was reported by Paris competition.

“Her partner Lloyd Klein is saddened to announce the death of Jocelyn Wildenstein in Paris,” was shared by AFP.

She was last seen healthy on December 18 in Paris, when she was with Klein.