Jocelyne Wildenstein earned the nickname ‘Catwoman’ for her alarming looks rather than her behaviour, but tiger comparisons certainly seemed apt yesterday when the New York socialite Jocelyne Wildenstein was accused of clawing and slashing her boyfriend in a raging late-night fight.
Attempting to hide her distinctive, surgically ruined face from photographers after she made a court appearance in Manhattan, the 71-year-old — also known as the Bride of Wildenstein — has been thrust back into the spotlight over alarming allegations that she attacked the fashion designer Lloyd Klein.
And yet nothing was quite so shocking as her grotesque appearance. After decades of compulsive cosmetic surgery which friends say is a misguided attempt to look like a jungle cat, Ms Wildenstein now looks more like a Hollywood monster than the sleek lynx she once kept as a pet.
In court, Ms Wildenstein, who is now rarely seen in public, spent five minutes brushing her hair and looking at her reflection in her mobile phone before a judge heard charges against her of felony assault with intent to cause physical injury with a weapon, and a lesser charge of assault with intent to cause physical injury.
The charges relate to Mr Klein’s claims — supported by photos of him with blood streaming down his scratched face — that his girlfriend of 13 years gouged him with her sharp nails before stabbing him with a pair of scissors.
The Canadian-born, French designer fled their $5 million home in Manhattan’s Trump World Tower after the incident and reportedly insists their relationship is over, as he considers Ms Wildenstein a ‘ticking timebomb’.
‘She can go blow up anytime, anywhere and with absolutely no reason,’…………………………….
‘He says she is truly a beautiful person when she’s on her best behavior. But when she flies into one of her incredible rages – look out.’
