“From a billion-dollar divorce settlement to bankruptcy, Jocelyn Wildenstein’s life of extravagant spending and obsession with cosmetic surgery led to her financial downfall”
Jocelyn Wildenstein, once a billionaire after securing one of the largest divorce settlements in history, is now a cautionary tale of excess and obsession. Her life took a dramatic turn from unimaginable wealth to filing for bankruptcy, all due to her extravagant lifestyle and addiction to cosmetic surgery.
At just 17, Jocelyn’s life changed when she began dating Swiss film producer Cyril Piguet. Together, they moved to Paris, where she mingled with the elite. Although she never pursued a career, Jocelyn believed she had another talent—interior decoration. She once remarked, “I never worried about my career. I am very good at decorating. Maybe extremely good.”
Her life took another twist when she met Saudi Arabian arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi, who introduced her to Alec Wildenstein, a wealthy art collector with a particular fondness for cats. The two married in Las Vegas in 1978 and had two children. However, just one year into their marriage, Jocelyn began undergoing cosmetic surgeries in a bid to look more like a cat, hoping to please Alec.
In a 1998 Vanity Fair interview, Alec described Jocelyn’s obsession, stating, “She thought she could fix her face like a piece of furniture. Human skin doesn’t work that way. But she wouldn’t listen.” Despite the criticism, Jocelyn embraced her “cat-like” appearance and continued altering her face for years, proudly admitting her addiction to surgery. However, her efforts to keep Alec satisfied were in vain.
In 1997, Jocelyn discovered Alec was having an affair with 21-year-old Russian model Yelena Jarikova. This led to a tumultuous two-year divorce battle, which ended with Jocelyn receiving a staggering $2.5 billion settlement, along with $100 million annually for the next 13 years. However, the judge ruled that she could not use any of the divorce money for more cosmetic surgeries.
Following the divorce, Jocelyn largely retreated from the public eye, occasionally seen at events like fashion shows with her then-boyfriend, French designer Lloyd Klein. Their relationship, however, ended in December 2016 after a heated argument.
Jocelyn’s habit of spending $1 million per month on luxury items and $5,000 monthly on phone bills, combined with her insatiable desire for cosmetic procedures, quickly drained her fortune. It’s estimated that she spent a staggering $4.1 billion on over 30 facial surgeries. By May 2018, at the age of 71, Jocelyn filed for bankruptcy, claiming she had only $0 left in her personal account. Once a billionaire, she now relies on a $900 monthly social security check and help from friends and family. Her debts exceed $6 million, and she is unable to repay them.
The last financial support she received from her ex-husband’s family was in March 2015—a sum of $111,000. With Alec having passed away in 2008, the responsibility of supporting Jocelyn fell to his brother, who also faced financial troubles. Jocelyn is still pursuing legal action against her former in-laws to “claim what she rightfully deserves.”
