Inside The Life Of Jocelyn Wildenstein, The Billionaire Socialite Known As ‘Catwoman’

Dec 10, 2021 by apost team

Over the last couple of decades, plastic surgery has become increasingly more popular. There are even some people who get addicted to having procedures done. Whether you are for or against cosmetic surgery, everyone should be free to choose what they want to do with their appearance. One woman, Jocelyn Wildenstein, rose to fame when she married billionaire Alec Wildenstein in the 1990s, but has since grown infamous with her many changes to her face to make her appear more catlike.  

Sometimes called the Catwoman, Jocelyn was born Jocelynnys Dayannys da Silva Bezerra Périsset in Lausanne, Switzerland, on September 7, 1945. She grew up there with her parents. Her father worked at a sporting goods store and Jocelyn said life in Lausanne was not very glamorous. When she was 17 and began dating filmmaker Cyril Piguet, her life seemed to change. She later moved to Paris, France, and moved in with Italian French filmmaker Sergio Gobbi. 

It is said that during this time Jocelyn became a pilot and avid hunter. This passion led her to Africa, where she was introduced to Alec by Saudi arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi at the Wildenstein family ranch, called “Ol Jogi.” The pair hit it off and they were in their 30s when they decided to get married. They ended up having two children, a daughter named Diane and a son called Alec Jr. Unfortunately, Jocelyn and Alec divorced in the late 90s. 

Their divorce was messy and Jocelyn ended up getting a very large settlement. Read on to learn more about her life and relationships. 

When Jocelyn first left Switzerland, she felt that her life had finally begun. "My life changed then," she said. "Lausanne is very plain, but I began meeting exciting, glamorous people." Meeting people became a common occurrence for Jocelyn who seemed to have found a living by dating wealthy men. 

However, she has said that her true calling is decorating. Jocelyn explained, "I never worry for my career. I am very good at decoration. I am maybe extremely good at decoration." It is unclear exactly what kind of decorating she enjoys, but the socialite seems to have an artistic side. 

Jocelyn’s other passion is hunting and going on safaris. "Africa is a paradise. You meet people who look at life differently. They love the adventure," she said. It is said that she and Alec both loved big cats, and Jocelyn once had a lynx as a pet. She once pointed out to Vanity Fair that lynx have very beautiful eyes and that her own eyes looked the same, but she said it was natural. 

It is also said that Jocelyn began getting plastic surgery a year into her marriage with Alec. Apparently, he wanted her to look more catlike and this is what led her to get surgery in the beginning. 

Plastic surgery wasn’t the couple’s only concern. Alec confirmed in a 1998 interview that his father did not want him to marry Jocelyn in the first place. "He was against marriage in general," Alec told Vanity Fair. "My father checks things out. My father tried to warn me."

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Over time, the constant plastic surgery procedures started to become an issue for the couple. "She was crazy. I would always find out last. She was thinking that she could fix her face like a piece of furniture. Skin does not work that way. But she wouldn't listen," Alec said in 1998. 

Alec wasn’t the only one who noticed that Jocelyn seemed to have a problem and could not stop getting work done. “I don’t think I’ve known her when she wasn’t healing from something,” said a friend, who added that Jocelyne had “mutilated herself.”

For her part, Jocelyne denies that she has had multiple procedures. She claims that her face has always looked this way. “If I show you pictures of my grandmother,” she said, “what you see is these eyes—cat eyes—and high cheekbones.”

It seems there was also pressure at home to look perfect. Alec and Jocelyn went to get eye lifts together at one point. Jocelyn said Alec “hates to be with old people.” But admitted, “He never pushed me. . . . No, he all the time told me that I look very young.” She added, “Until the day you don’t look young enough!”

The couple divorced in 1999 after a dramatic scene where Jocelyn found her husband in bed with another woman and Alec, claiming he thought he heard a burglar, pulled a gun on Jocelyn and her bodyguards. The police were called and Alec ended up spending a night in jail. In the divorce settlement, Jocelyn was awarded $2.5 billion and then $100 million every year for 13 years.

In 2021, Jocelyn has been out of the limelight for a while. She was occasionally seen attending fashion shows with designer, Lloyd Klein, her ex-boyfriend. The pair split in 2016. 

Do you remember Jocelyn Wildenstein? What do you think of plastic surgery? Let us know your opinion and be sure to pass this along to your friends and family.