Reclusive Billionaire Athina Onassis Makes Rare Appearance After 3 Years In Seclusion

The French-Greek billionaire heiress, Athina Onassis, made a rare appearance at an exclusive charity event in France.

The 40-year-old woman, who has endured a slew of tragedies throughout her lifetime, including the passing of her mother when she was little older than a baby, is known to keep a low profile, especially after her husband’s betrayal in 2016.

In her recent appearance, she was seen in a flowing red evening dress with a ghost of a smile.

Greek tabloids have noticed that Athina Onassis is inclined towards charity events

Athina Onassis wearing a navy blazer and white pants, making a rare appearance in a sports event after years in seclusion

Image credits: NurPhoto / Getty

The event she was attending, the Bal d’Été, was an exclusive cinematic gala directed by award-winning American filmmaker Sophia Coppola.

Reporting on her appearance, Greek publication, Protothema, observed:

“Athina Onassis tends to avoid the spotlight, always opting for discreet and carefully chosen appearances — especially when they involve a philanthropic cause.”

Reclusive billionaire Athina Onassis standing with a man, both dressed formally at a Giorgio Armani event.

Image credits: Bertrand Rindoff Petroff /Getty

The invite–only gala, which canvasses financial support for the Musée des Arts Décoratifs (MAD), where it was hosted, also featured the likes of Kiera Knightley, Kirsten Dunst, and Anna Wintour, among 300 other members of society’s upper crust.

Prior to that, she was seen at a show-jumping competition in 2022

Onassis, who usually spends her time in the Netherlands and Belgium, was last seen in public in March this year when she attended another charity event at Amis du Centre Pompidou in France.

Prior to that, she broke tradition with her introverted routine of close to a decade to compete in the Longines Paris Eiffel Jumping show at Champ de Mars in 2022.

Athina Onassis in elegant red gown making rare public appearance after three years of reclusion.

Image credits: Marc Piasecki / Getty

There, she was noted to have changed her hair color and departed from her no-makeup rule. 

She also sported “fuller” lips and wore a lacy black dress as she hung out with Spanish aristocrat Arnaud Cabri-Wiltzer.

Her husband cheating on her is what made her a recluse

The perceived cause for her habit of skirting the spotlight is her Brazilian husband, Álvaro de Miranda Neto, cheating on her in 2016.

Reclusive billionaire Athina Onassis seated, wearing a light blouse, with hands raised in a reflective moment at an event.

Image credits: Dutch National Archives

Onassis’ security team allegedly caught the Brazilian show jumper in bed with a woman in her (Onassis’) Wellington, Florida home.

According to an insider, Miranda begged his wife’s staff not to tell her, but the news reached her ears anyway.

Onassis abandoned him and flew to Europe

An insider would later tell the Daily Mail, “It was apparently a one-night stand; there was nothing serious going on between them.”

Man holding a baby girl in a pink dress under a shaded outdoor area, related to reclusive billionaire Athina Onassis.

Image credits: Pool MORT DE CHRISTINA ONASSIS / Getty

Onassis reacted by abandoning Miranda and returning to Europe.

When confronted by the Brazilian press, Miranda would say: “I am really in the midst of a storm. But I will not give up on my love. It won’t be easy but I will fight until the end.”

Despite his claims, Miranda would marry another woman and have two children with her.

Her mother passed away when she was three due to years of eating disorders

Woman standing next to a child riding a pony outdoors, highlighting reclusive billionaire Athina Onassis in rare appearance.

Image credits: Michel Dufour / Getty

Onassis and her lineage are no strangers to tragedy.

Her mother, Christina, daughter of Aristotle Onassis, who owned one of the world’s largest shipping fleets, married four times and was found deceased in her bathtub in 1988 when Onassis was only three.

It was later established that she had succumbed to a heart attack following years of eating disorders.

Athina Onassis, reclusive billionaire, pictured in a beige suit walking arm in arm during a rare public appearance.

Image credits: Milos Bicanski / Getty

Onassis would live with her biological father, a French pharmaceutical heir, Thierry Roussel, and his partner, Gabby, with whom he had been having an affair while Christina was still alive.

By the time she was 18, she had access to her mother’s money, and her relationship with Roussel deteriorated to the point that she stopped using his surname.

Athina’s grandfather also passed away during a dark period in his life

Like her mother, Athina’s grandfather, Aristotle, would spend his last years in a dark place. 

Athina Onassis riding a horse during an equestrian event, wearing a helmet and white riding clothes outdoors.

Image credits: Anadolu / Getty

In 1973,  his son and Christina’s brother, Alexander, di*d in a plane crash. The next year, Alexander’s wife, named Athina too, succumbed to an overdose.

Still pining over the loss of his son, Alexander would pass away from bronchial pneumonia  a year after that in March 1975.

This record of multi-generational misfortune has since earned itself the moniker, the “Onassis curse.”

Social media is overwhelmingly empathetic

Reclusive billionaire Athina Onassis attending a public event, dressed elegantly and posing for photographers.

Comment from Erin about Athina Onassis, mentioning her kindness and the value of family over money.

Comment text on a white background by user Jordan expressing hope that Athina Onassis finds true happiness.

Reclusive billionaire Athina Onassis wearing sunglasses and a hat, making a rare public appearance after years in seclusion

Reclusive billionaire Athina Onassis appears in public wearing a white dress and sunglasses, standing outdoors in bright sunlight.

Text on screen showing a comment urging privacy for reclusive billionaire Athina Onassis who made a rare public appearance.

Reclusive billionaire Athina Onassis seen making a rare public appearance after three years of seclusion.

Comment text on a white background discussing the surprise of stepping out being compulsory for the reclusive billionaire Athina Onassis.

Comment about reclusive billionaire Athina Onassis mentioning her charitable deeds and kind heart.

Reclusive billionaire Athina Onassis seen in rare public appearance after years of seclusion and privacy.

Reclusive billionaire Athina Onassis seen outdoors during rare public appearance after years of seclusion.

Reclusive billionaire Athina Onassis in a candid moment during her rare public appearance after years of seclusion.

Comment expressing happiness about reclusive billionaire Athina Onassis attending events after long seclusion.

Comment text by KittyKitty expressing support for reclusive billionaire Athina Onassis's preference for horses over social media attention.

Reclusive billionaire Athina Onassis attending a public event, dressed elegantly, marking her first appearance in years.

Poll Question

Total votes ·

Thanks! Check out the results:

Total votes ·

Newsletter

Subscribe to Access
Exclusive Polls

Subscribe

By entering your email and clicking Subscribe, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Privacy Policy.

Thank you! You've successfully subscribed to newsletters!

Anyone can write on Bored Panda. Start writing!

Follow Bored Panda on Google News!

Follow us on Flipboard.com/@boredpanda!