Nadine Macaluso (née Caridi; born December 24, 1967), formerly Belfort, is a British-born American psychotherapist, author, internet personality, and former model. She was the second wife of the stockbroker and financial criminal Jordan Belfort, to whom she was married from 1991 to 2005. Throughout her marriage, she was referred to in the press as the "Duchess of Bay Ridge".
Nadine Macaluso | |
|---|---|
 Macaluso in 2024 | |
| Born | Nadine Caridi December 24, 1967 London, England |
| Other names | Nadine Belfort |
| Education | Pacifica Graduate Institute |
| Occupation(s) | Psychotherapist, writer, internet personality |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
| Website | drnae |
Macaluso's marriage to Belfort was one of the subjects of Belfort's 2007 memoir, The Wolf of Wall Street, and the basis of Margot Robbie's character Naomi Lapaglia in the 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street. Macaluso authored the book Run Like Hell: A Therapist’s Guide To Recognizing, Escaping, And Healing From Trauma Bonds.
Biography
editMacaluso was born Nadine Caridi in London.[1] She grew up in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn[2][3] and graduated from John Dewey High School.[4]
She worked as a model, represented by Elite Petite Management, and appeared in advertisement campaigns for Miller Lite.[1][5] In 1992, she was featured in an advertisement campaign for Seagram that promoted the 1992 Winter Olympics.[5] Macaluso also modelled for the Wrigley Company.[5]
Macaluso met her first husband, stockbroker Jordan Belfort, at a house party in Westhampton Beach, New York.[6] Belfort, who had previously been married to Denise Lombardo, ran the brokerage house Stratton Oakmont. They married in 1991. She and Belfort had two children. The couple owned a luxury yacht, originally built in 1961 for Coco Chanel, that Belfort renamed Nadine after Macaluso. The yacht sank off the east coast of Sardinia in June 1996.[7][8][9] Due to their high-profile and extravagant life style, Macaluso was referred to as the "Duchess of Bay Ridge" by the press.[2] Belfort, who was arrested for charges involving white-collar crime, attempted to launder millions of dollars through a Swiss bank account using the name of Macaluso's aunt.[1] While they were married, Macaluso founded a maternity company.[5]
The relationship between Macaluso and Belfort was contentious. Belfort reportedly flew 100 staff and 100 sex workers to Las Vegas for a bachelor party before their £600,000 Caribbean wedding.[1] Belfort later bragged about having sex with Macaluso on a $3 million mattress made of $100 bills.[1]
Macaluso and Belfort separated after Macaluso made claims of domestic violence, after he reportedly kicked her down the stairs of their Long Island mansion, and accused Belfort of infidelity and suffering from a drug addiction.[1][10] The couple divorced in 2005.[1] Following the divorce, she moved to California.[5]
She remarried to businessman John Macaluso.[1] She earned a master's degree and a doctoral degree in counseling and somatic psychology from the Pacifica Graduate Institute.[5][11] She works as a therapist in marriage and family counseling.[6]
Macaluso began using the social media platform TikTok to share her perspective on the 2013 Martin Scorsese biographical drama film The Wolf of Wall Street, as she was the inspiration for the film's character Naomi Lapaglia, played by Margot Robbie.[6][5] She met with Robbie and Robbie's speech coach during the making of the film.[6]
Macaluso also uses her TikTok platform to educate women on abusive relationships and emotionally manipulative behavior like gaslighting and traumatic bonding.[6]
She is the author of the book Run Like Hell: A Therapist's Guide To Recognizing, Escaping, And Healing From Trauma Bonds, which was released in 2024.[11]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h Witheridge, Annette (March 2, 2014). "Jordan Belfort: Meet the REAL Wolf of Wall Street as played by Leonardo DiCaprio". Daily Mirror. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
- ^ a b "Wolf of Wall Street's Ex-wife, Dr. Nadine Macaluso, Presents the Gift of Authenticity to the World". March 8, 2022. Archived from the original on March 21, 2023. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
- ^ Haglund, David. "How accurate is Wolf of Wall Street?", Concord Monitor, January 2, 2014. Accessed August 22, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "Belfort divorced Denise Lombardo, called Teresa in the movie, after meeting Nadine Caridi at a Stratton Oakmont party.... In both the book and the movie Belfort calls her the Duchess of Bay Ridge (or just the Duchess for short) because she was born in England but grew up in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn."
- ^ "'The Wolf of Wall Street' Jordan Belfort's Ex-wife Nadine Macaluso Became a Therapist Expert in Trauma Bonding". September 15, 2022. Archived from the original on December 11, 2022. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g "The career rise of Nadine Macaluso, from modeling and marrying the 'Wolf of Wall Street' to divorcing him and becoming a family therapist". Business Insider. Archived from the original on November 30, 2022. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "'The Wolf of Wall Street' Nudity and Drug Fueled Party Scene Was All Real, Reveals Jordan Belfort's Ex-Wife | Decider". Archived from the original on October 17, 2022. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
- ^ "I naufraghi dello yacht miliardario salvati in extremis". Corriere Della Sera (in Italian). No. paywall. June 24, 1996. Archived from the original on December 9, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
- ^ Wooton, Kenny (May 1997). "The Longest Night". Yachting. 181 (5): 54. ISSN 0043-9940.
- ^ Belfort, Jordan (2007). The Wolf of Wall Street. Random House. pp. 406–409. ISBN 978-0-553-80546-8.
- ^ "The 'Wolf of Wall Street's' ex-wife is a therapist, and she's using details of their marriage to get people talking about abusive relationships on TikTok". Insider.com. Archived from the original on August 20, 2023. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
- ^ a b "About Dr. Nadine Macaluso | Dr Nae". Archived from the original on June 6, 2023. Retrieved August 19, 2023.