Kelly Bensimon

Kelly Killoren Bensimon is an author, model, jewelry designer, and former editor of Elle Accessories. She currently appears on Bravo The Real Housewives of New York City.

Personal life

Kelly Jean Killoren, was born on May 1, 1968 and raised in Rockford, Illinois. She began working as a model at the age of 15. Killoren was the third wife of French fashion photographer Gilles Bensimon, who is 24 years older. He is an internationally renowned photographer and former International Creative Director of Elle magazine. The couple have two daughters: Sea Louise Bensimon (born in 1998) and Thaddeus Ann "Teddy" Bensimon (born in 2000). The couple divorced in July 2007. The former Mrs. Bensimon now resides in New York City and East Hampton.
Education

Killoren Bensimon initially attended Trinity College, Connecticut as a member of the Class of 1990, but left after a year. She later enrolled at the Columbia University School of General Studies, majoring in English,  in 1998
Career

Killoren began her modeling career in New York City. She has appeared in magazines such as ELLE, Cosmopolitan, and Harper's Bazaar. She was also the face of Clarins. She is the editor at large for Hamptons Magazine and Gotham Magazine. She is the founding editor Elle Accessories Magazine. She has authored several books including In The Spirit of the Hamptons, American Style, and The Bikini Book. Kelly also wrote a column in Page Six Magazine called The Socializer: Kelly Killoren Bensimon.
Killoren-Bensimon has been host of the IMG (business) fashion week, and of the IMG swim shows in Miami. She was a spokesperson in 2006 for Wool  as part of their Test Marketing Productions (TMP;) however, a current search of the Wool website indicates no 2009 relationship or representation . Bensimon has hosted menswear events with GQ magazine. She was also an "ambassador" for Spring 2007 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week  in New York City. Killoren Bensimon launched her jewelry line "Kelly" at Bloomingdale's in fall 2007.
Killoren Bensimon appears on Bravo's popular reality show The Real Housewives of New York City.
Bensimon appeared in a six-page pictorial in the March 2010 edition of Playboy magazine.
Lawsuit

Designer Celeste Greenberg, founder of jewelry line Tuleste Market, claims that the owl design that Bensimon displays and promotes on The Real Housewives of New York City was not designed by Bensimon, but by herself. Greenberg initiated a legal case for copyright infringement and breach of contract.
Arrest

Killoren Bensimon was arrested on 5 March 2009 and charged with assaulting her boyfriend Nicholas Stefanov. Stefanov filed an in-person criminal complaint with the NYPD and was photographed as part of the complaint with visible facial wounds.. The criminal complaint stated that Bensimon hit Stefanov "with a closed fist, thereby causing informant to suffer a laceration below informant's left eye and substantial pain."