Debt, court threats & ‘life in chaos’- but ‘giggly’ Catwoman Jocelyne Wildenstein was in good spirits in last interview
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MY chat with Jocelyne Wildenstein over the phone in Paris just over a month ago was her last ever interview. It was weeks before her death and a somewhat strange encounter, filled with denials and misdirection with a sort of bizarre undercurrent I couldn’t quite pin down at the time.
![[Jocelyne Wildenstein, pictured in October last year, lived a colourful life before her sudden death on New Year's Eve]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/132c3e2f-145b-4b5d-aef1-f8eecb800ed9.jpg?strip=all&w=661)
Now that time has passed, I think I've figured out the reason. Just as she'd done with her face, in life Jocleyne hid behind a created facade, one she desperately wanted people to believe. But in her final days, maybe the debt notices, eviction orders and other secrets were hovering a bit too close to the surface for comfort.
![[The socialite was a natural beauty, pictured here in her thirties, but despite her changing appearance, always denied having plastic surgery]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/jocelyn-wildenstein-instagram-938053581_fb311f.jpg?strip=all&w=818)
She was nervous, afraid the facade was about to crumble. Our chat was arranged through Lloyd Klein, her partner of 20 years, a man who was equally hard to pin down but when we finally spoke, he was charming. I requested a Zoom interview because her face was, after all, the reason we were doing the chat.
![[Fabulous writer Natalie Clarke was lucky enough to be granted interview time with Miss Wildenstein just before she died, and was even provided this exclusive photo of her]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/52a06056-0a18-4cff-9951-5f1568548172.jpg?strip=all&w=676)
Jocelyne was Catwoman, she was the Bride of Wildenstein and I wanted to see her famous face. “No way," said Lloyd, suddenly becoming tough. Lloyd can be volatile with journalists so I agreed we'd do the chat over the phone. During the early evening of November 25 I was granted 45 minutes of ‘Miss Wildenstein's’ time.
![[The socialite rose to fame after divorcing her first husband, securing her billions in the settlement]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/jocelyne-wildenstein-socialite-known-extreme-961057952_578d80.jpg?strip=all&w=636)
After exchanging pleasantries, Lloyd passed me over to Jocelyne, who sounded soft, feminine, with a throaty French accent. She seemed in good spirits. "I'm living in a big apartment with Lloyd," she said. "I like Paris a lot. I’m enjoying life.". An image came to mind of Jocelyne and Lloyd sipping Champagne in some grand apartment, full of antiques and priceless paintings.
![[Despite her seemingly limitless wealth, the famous figure, pictured here with longterm love Lloyd Klein, had unpaid debts when she died]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/fa36ea79-03a7-49f2-bf17-f20bd43f961b.jpg?strip=all&w=918)
