Inside Lisa and Lenny Hochstein’s doomed marriage before he dumped her for younger model

The divorce of Real Housewives of Miami stars Lisa and Lenny Hochstein sent shockwaves through the reality television world this week, as it was revealed the famed plastic surgeon – dubbed ‘boob god’ – had already moved on with young Austrian model Katharina Mazepa. 

While Lenny, 55, maintains that his new romance with Katharina, 26, did not take place until ‘after the decision was made to get divorced’ from Lisa, 39, – reports of red flags in their marriage have been rife for years.

On the surface the couple had been keeping up appearances, living together on a newly-constructed property on Miami’s ultra-exclusive Star Island, with the palatial property boasting nine bedrooms, a gigantic infinity pool and a huge closet Lisa dubbed her ‘woman cave.’

The Canadian-born beauty even boasted about the benefits of being married to a plastic surgeon and having easy access to treatments, once declaring: ‘My husband built the perfect wife!’

Inside Lisa and Lenny Hochstein’s doomed marriage before he dumped her for younger model (the pair pictured above at their nine-bedroom Miami mansion on Star Island last October)  

But behind the glossy façade, the couple were struggling to paper over the cracks in their almost 13-year-marriage – as they battled fertility struggles, an emotional affair, and Lisa’s ‘addiction’ to getting work done. 

The couple married in 2009 and now share two children together; a son, Logan, six, and daughter, Elle, two, both born via surrogate. Though it was their fertility issues that showed the first sign of trouble in their relationship. 

After joining RHOM’s second season in 2012, viewers began to see Lisa opening up about the hardships she and Lenny faced, as she compared their life to a ‘nightmare’ after suffering three miscarriages and four failed attempts at IVF.

Just three years after getting married, Lisa admitted on the show that she worried her not being able to have children had put a strain on their relationship. 

It recently emerged that a year later in 2013, the pair nearly split up for good when Lisa found out that Lenny had an ’emotional affair’ with a woman during a brief separation, as their reality show went off the air and stopped filming. 

He moves on quick: After initially hesitating in revealing the divorce news to Page Six, Lenny had no hesitation in revealing that he was dating the 26-year-old Austrian model

After a year of renovation work, the Hochensteins had finally been settling into their 20,000-square-foot-home. It has nine bedrooms, a living room, backyard and gigantic pool

Moving on: On Monday, Lenny’s estranged wife Lisa said she was ‘blindsided’ by his decision to publicly announce that they are divorcing, after 12 years and two children together – as well as the plastic surgeon ‘boob god’s’ admission that he is already dating the model

‘We were already separated. We were going through a difficult time trying to have children. It wasn’t happening,’ she said this year on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen.

‘So we were separating just because we were having a really hard time, you know, conceiving a child. So then he strayed. And I found out because I was very crafty, and I have all of his passwords, you know? And so, I saw some things. But we were separated, so yeah, that’s how I found out.’

But it wasn’t just their fertility struggles that caused issues between them. 

Recently, Lisa admitted that she had an ‘addiction’ to plastic surgery – specifically facial fillers – which proved troublesome when married to a plastic surgeon. 

‘I definitely had an addiction,’ she told Andy Cohen this year. ‘And watching the show, I saw it and I was horrified.’ 

The TV personality confessed that since she was married to a professional, it made getting injectables so easy, she got carried away. 

See also  Downton Abbey star Joanne Froggatt stuns in blazer and mini skirt combo at Sherwood screening

Struggles: Lisa has admitted that their marriage became a ‘nightmare’ when struggling to conceive (Pictured; 2018)

Family first: Lenny – who shares two children with Lisa, six-year-old son Logan and two-year-old daughter Elle (pictured together) – revealed the couple has ‘contemplated divorce for the last several years’

She admitted: ‘I can do whatever I want, so I did and it was a huge mistake.’ 

On her Instagram page, Lisa once wrote: ‘My husband built the perfect wife!’

Though it seemed as though the pair had patched things up by 2015, and after their fertility struggles, they welcomed their son Logan via a surrogate, with Lisa calling him their ‘miracle baby.’ 

In a statement at the time, Lisa hinted that their son had brought a great deal of happiness back into their marriage.

‘[Lenny is] great. There’s like always a constant huge smile on his face. He can’t wait to get home and see his little guy,’ she told Bravo.

Making his name: Lenny has performed over 27,000 breast augmentations, revisions, lifts, and reductions throughout his career thus dubbing himself the ‘boob god’

Lenny and Lisa then welcomed their second child, a daughter Elle, in 2019 – again through surrogacy – and it appeared as though the married couple had truly overcome their biggest challenge.

However, when the reality series RHOM was brought back for a fourth season in 2021, Lenny and Lisa’s marriage issues became a talking point once again, as she revealed they almost got a divorce when they had their brief separation back in 2013. 

‘We almost got a divorce, and it was devastating. During this separation, Lenny had this emotional affair with some $2 h*e,’ Lisa said last December, and claimed that Lenny had come ‘groveling back’ to her, and that ‘it was the best decision of his life.’

Shockingly, in light of their current split, Lisa was full of confidence in their marriage when she spoke candidly to UsWeekly only in March this year.

‘I definitely feel like we are a success story,’ Lisa told the outlet. ‘Because we decided to work through our issues and we didn’t wanna give up and thank God we did because we have our two children that I couldn’t imagine life without.’

‘I’m happy. And I hope that other people can be inspired by that and not give up so easily because I feel like we live in a world where people give up way too easily. Divorce is, you know, like, an option [but] it shouldn’t be an option, like, unless something really horrible is happening.’

No issues here: Lenny Hochstein’s, 55, new 26-year-old girlfriend Katharina Mazepa (pictured) is ‘proud’ to be with him despite the near 30 year age gap and fact that he’s still married 

Despite Lisa’s positivity, behind-the-scenes trouble was brewing as earlier this month, when Larsa Pippen reportedly confronted Lenny and Austrian model Katharina at club, though Lenny denied that there was anything going on. 

Alas, after Lisa was said to be ‘blindsided’ by the split and his ‘reckless’ behavior – Lenny would end up confirming it all, including his new relationship with Katharina, in a statement. 

‘Lisa and I have contemplated divorce for the last several years,’ he claimed in a statement.

‘I tried my best to avoid it for the sake of our children who we love deeply. We have been living separate lives for months and made the decision to divorce last month.’

‘It was after the decision was made that I started seeing Katharina. This is something that Lisa was well aware of before it happened.’