Not many people have had their life stories turned into Hollywood blockbusters. Nadine Caridi sits atop this short list of women whose marriages merited a premium spot on the silver screen. The stunning beauty was Jordan Belfort’s, the now-infamous “Wolf of Wall Street” trophy wife. Nadine’s tempestuous 8-year marriage to the notorious fraudster catapulted her into the spotlight long after the marriage was over. Like a phoenix, Nadine rose from the ashes of her failed abusive marriage to reinvent herself to leave a positive mark on the world.
Strap in and enjoy the ride as we detail the secrets of Nadine Caridi, Jordan Belfort’s ex-wife.
Profile Summary
| Name | Nadine Macaluso |
| Age | 55 (In 2023) |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Date of Birth | 24-12-1967 |
| Gender | Female |
| Zodiac | Capricorn |
| Nationality | British-American |
| Sexuality | Straight |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Height | 5’6″ |
| Weight | 60 kg |
| Profession | Marriage & Family Therapist |
| @therealdrnadine | |
| @therealdrnadine |
Nadine Caridi is Jordan Belfort’s ex-wife
Famous as the Duchess of Bay Ridge, Nadine Caridi was born in London, England, on December 24th 1967. The stunning British beauty spent her entire childhood in America after her family moved to Brooklyn, New York. Nadine Caridi attended and graduated from John Dewey High School in Gravesend, South Brooklyn, New York. Nadine was set on pursuing a modeling career from her early life.
Nadine was cut out for the modeling scene at 5’6″ tall with stunning exotic looks, a gorgeous, curvy figure, and a bubbly personality to boot. Caridi made her debut in the modeling scene as Miller girl. She secured a contract with Miller Coors to advertise Miller Lite, an alcoholic beverage. Her gorgeous looks made her an instant hit, and she quickly became the Miller Lite Poster girl. Her incredible success with the Miller campaign launched her modeling career on a high note. Nadine landed other modeling contracts with several TV stations.
Her popularity led her to appear in multiple TV commercials, putting her career on an upward trajectory. An altruistic to boot, Nadine Caridi used her fame as a model to advocate and support several health initiatives and national campaigns. She famously appeared in a commercial soliciting donations to help young adults who need organ transplants.
All was well with Nadine Caridi’s modeling career until the fateful day she ran into the infamous Belfort.
Personal Life
Before becoming the Duchess of Bay Ridge or Jordan Belfort’s ex-wife, Nadine Caridi dated Allan Wilzig. Wilzig is a successful American businessman and a famous philanthropist. Interestingly, Allan introduced Nadine Caridi to Belfort at one of his lavish parties, leading him to divorce his first wife, Deniso Lombardo.
As fate would have it, Nadine and Alan had just called quits on their two-year relationship when he invited her to a party hosted by Belfort. The American entrepreneur and race car driver spilled the beans two decades later.
Taking credit for the introduction while taking a dig at the movie, Wilzig wrote:
Twenty-odd years ago, while “The Wolf” was still growing his fangs – I had my first post-college relationship. At the end of year two, as friendly exes, I took Nadine to Jordan Belfort’s July 4th Westhampton Beach House, where the two of them met… He left his high school sweetheart wife to marry her; and the rest you can see in the movie.”
Nadine’s ex boyfriend, Alan Wilzig, was miffed over his portrayal as a super dork in the movie. He was irked that the film didn’t show him rocking up to the party with Nadine riding shotgun in his Red Ferrari Testarossa.
Meeting Jordan Belfort
Before meeting Nadine Caridi on the 4th of July at his Westhampton beach house party, Jordan was married to Denise Lombardo, his high school sweetheart. The fireworks must have ignited and fanned the sparks flying between Nadine and Jordan because they become an item soon after. She started dating Jordan, who liked her so much that he divorced his first wife to marry her. Little did Jordan’s bond wasn’t as strong as she hoped when he divorced Denise.
The Dewey high school alumnus was starstruck by the lavish lifestyle as the playboy was worth millions of dollars. His charming good looks and exciting lifestyle must have been the cherry on top. Nadine gave up her successful modeling life when she married Jordan.
Nadine Caridi Becomes Jordan Belfort’s Wife
Following their whirlwind romance, Nadine Caridi and Jordan tied the knot in 1991. The couple held a lavish private wedding ceremony in the Caribbean attended by close friends and family. The couple’s first son, Chandler Belfort, was born in 1993, while Carter James was born in 1995.
Reflecting on her marriage to Jordan Belfort, Nadine admits that she was attracted to the razzle-dazzle of Jordan’s millionaire playboy lifestyle. However, the honeymoon phase quickly faded into reality, and she was fully immersed in Jordan’s world.
Threats, coercion, and intimidation were quick to replace the charm that made her fall madly in love with Belfort. Underneath the charming looks, her husband was a manic, violent, bad-tempered drug addict with severe anger management issues. She felt trapped during her 8-year marriage and endured physical abuse, infidelity, and psychological abuse.
Nadine Caridi is Jordan Belfort’s Ex-wife
Despite all the glamourous lifestyle, Nadine Belfort wasn’t happily married. Her husband was an abusive, manic drug addict with anger issues.
He was chronically absent since he couldn’t jettison his jet-setting millionaire playboy life. He continued to host wild parties filled with call girls, drugs, and alcohol, long after tying the knot.
After eight long years of suffering as Jordan Belfort’s second wife, Caridi called it quits on her marriage.
The drug use rather than his affairs with other women made Nadine leave Jordan. Caridi says that Jordan’s addictions were so strong that he wasn’t above doing crack in front of their newborn baby.
After Jordan married Nadine, they were together from 1991 to 1998, separating well before his antics in the stock market came to light. In his true wolf-like fashion, Jordan cut her off without a dime following the divorce. It seems the fraudster wasn’t above screwing over anyone in his life, including his family.
It’s unclear if Caridi received any divorce settlement from Jordan following the divorce, but he later strongly indicated there wasn’t. Speaking to Notable Life, Jordan advocated for people to sign a prenup.
“Don’t get yourself in a situation where if you get divorced, you’ll screw yourself” – Jordan Belfort.
In a later interview, the former career counselor confirmed that Jordan Belfort cut her off without a dime after eight years of marriage. Caridi relocated to California with her two children without financial assistance from her ex-husband. She went full out to rebuild her net worth.
Nadine Caridi – Life
Caridi wasn’t content to live in Jordan Belfort’s shadow after dissolving their marriage. Like a phoenix, she rose from the ashes and built a brand-new life for herself and her two children. She was determined to put her unpleasant marriage in the rearview mirror, achieving that rare feat in style.
At the ripe age of 39 years, Caridi went back to school to earn her degree. She attended Pacifica Graduate Institute and earned a degree in Somatic Psychotherapy. Caridi graduated with a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley. Her stellar credentials gave her the latitude she needed to become a licensed marriage and family therapist.
But Caridi’s educational pursuit was far from over. She rejoined Pacifica Graduate Institute and graduated with a PhD in Somatic Psychology. In 2015, she was certified as a Neuro Affective Relationship Model (NAR) practitioner.
Today, she goes by her professional credentials – Dr. Nae – and works as a licensed marriage and family therapist and relationship expert in her private practice. Caridi now splits her time between Glen Cove, New York, and Hermosa Beach, California.
She also runs “The Dr. Nae’s Talking Bar,” a Mental health YouTube channel. Caridi uses the platform to highlight people who have overcome painful and challenging experiences and thrived in their new life. She highlights how overcoming adversity transforms people and enriches lives by helping people reach their full potential.
Dr. Nae’s personal experience with an abusive spouse may have led her to pursue a career in marriage counseling. She escaped the wolf’s den built a successful career, and is thriving in life.
After divorcing Belfort, Nadine married John Macaluso, an American entrepreneur. John Macaluso is the former CEO of Wizard World and a former drummer with the TNT, Ark, and Yngwie Malmsteen. Nadine Macaluso is John Macaluso’s second wife. He was previously married to Cindy Landon, and they have three daughters together. The couple lives in their Hermosa Beach Mansion in California.
The Wolf of Wall Street Movie
Nadine Macaluso was thrust into the spotlight in 2007 when the famous movie the Wolf of Wall Street hit the big screen. The film is loosely based on Belfort’s book by the same name. The book and the movie highlight Belfort’s shady dealing on the stock market following his arrest and release from prison.
Caridi’s ex-husband was found guilty of money laundering and security fraud, sentenced to 2 years in federal prison, and ordered to pay $110 in restitution. Martin Scorsese adapted Belfort’s story into a movie, becoming a rolling success.
Leonardo DiCaprio played Belfort a, while Margot Robbie played Naomi Belfort. The movie was a global hit, amassing $392 million at the box office. Leonard DiCaprio received an Academy Awards nomination for his role.
Nadine Caridi Net worth in 2022-2023
As of 2022, Nadine Caridi’s net worth is about $5 million and is drawn mainly from her family therapist and relationship expert career. Her wealth might pale compared to Jordan’s millions, but it’s not tainted by his ill-gotten wealth. To build her net worth, Nadine returned to school to get a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology and start a thriving private practice. With her career graph Nadine Caridi exemplified the real life struggles you need to overcome in this world. Caridi may have married Belfort when she was just a kid, but she’s come a long way since her first marriage. Should couldn’t count on her early life and education to see her through, so she forged a new career path and leveled up her net worth.
