Who Is Rudy Giuliani's Ex-Wife? Details On Judith Guiliani — Including That She Divorced Him Over His Affair
She's his fourth ex-wife.
Debby Wong / Shutterstock Remember when Rudy Giuliani was the Mayor of New York and got everyone through the September 11th tragedy with his leadership? Since then, he has become President Trump’s personal lawyer and sometimes-public speaker on his behalf, following the whole Michael Cohen fiasco.
Giuliani is getting ready to speak at the 2020 Republican National Convention, and he's going to be outlining his support for President Trump.
On many occasions, people have questioned his sanity. But what about the mayor-turned-Trump lawyer’s family? Is he married? Does he have children?
We’re just as curious as you.
Who is Rudy Giuliani’s ex-wife, Judith Giuliani?
Here's what to know about Judith Giuliani, also referred to as Judith Nathan, and the details of their truly messy and awful divorce.
Judith Giuliani has a daughter.
She and her second husband adopted a daughter, Whitney, in 1985. Though Giuliani has two children of his own from his second marriage, he became Whitney’s stepfather when he and Judith married.
Judith Giuliani is a nurse.
Judith attended a two-year nursing program affiliated with Penn State University and became a registered nurse in 1974.
Of her decision to work as a nurse, she says it was “one of the most practical, wonderful ones I ever made because, aside from the science, you learn crisis management, decision making, prioritizing.”
How did Rudy Giuliani and Judith Giuliani meet?
The couple met in 1999 at Club Macanudo, an Upper East Side cigar bar.
A mutual doctor friend introduced the two, and they began an ongoing relationship. This was scandalous because Giuliani was still married at the time!
The two began dating while Rudy was still married.
In 2000, Giuliani arranged for the NYPD security to start chauffeuring Judith around and a few months later, the couple began appearing together in public. Giuliani acknowledged Judith as his “very good friend,” and told the press he was separating from his wife.
Judith Giuliani was his third wife.
Who knew Rudy Giuliani was such a player?
The two became engaged in November 2002 and were married in May 2003.
His first marriage was to his second cousin, Regina Peruggi, from 1968 to the mid-70s. He and his second wife, Donna Hanover, were married from 1984 until they officially divorced in 2002.
But Giuliani is also Judith’s third marriage.
She was first married to a medical supply salesman named Jeffrey Ross from 1974 to 1979.
She married her second husband Bruce Nathan, who was a wallpaper salesman, less than a week after her divorce, as she met him while she was separated from Ross.
Her marriage to Nathan led to a lengthy divorce and custody battle over their adopted daughter, Whitney, and in 1992 when their divorce was finalized, she won primary custody.
Michael Bloomberg married them.
Former Mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, who succeeded Giuliani when he left office, officiated the wedding. The wedding was held at Gracie Mansion and featured celebrity invitees like Yogi Berra, Henry Kissinger, Vera Wang, Donald Trump (of course), and Barbara Walters.
What does Judity Giuliani do for a living?
Though she's a nurse, she works as an advisor for his management consulting company, Giuliani Partners.
“She gives us a lot of advice and a lot of help in areas where she's got a lot of expertise — biological and chemical. Since we do security work, that's an area of great concern — you know, another anthrax attack, a smallpox attack, chemical agents. She knows all of that,” he said of her employment.
He credits her with helping him through his cancer diagnosis.
In 2000, Giuliani was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He says Judith’s nursing background helped him when he was receiving treatment.
“I felt so fortunate to have not only someone who loved me and cared about me, but also someone who was an expert with an enormous amount of knowledge of medicine and science. She was the single biggest support that I had,” he commented.
In 2018, Rudy and Judith Giuliani went through a messy divorce.
Well, all good things must come to an end. Judith filed for divorce in April 2018, after 15 years of marriage. The divorce filings came after Giuliani allegedly had an affair with a married woman, Maria Rosa Ryan.
Judith filed for divorce just five days after Ryan and Giuliani were spotted together at a hotel in New Hampshire.
Seeing as how the couple didn’t have a prenup, they fought over a disputed $30 million. None of Rudy Giuliani's divorces have been particularly uncomplicated, but this one is setting a new standard for petty.
The former couple was fighting over every last asset, event, and tidbit in their lives: “In caustic legal proceedings this summer, the separated couple has battled over things as prosaic as her kitchen renovations and as rarefied as his splurges — $7,131 on fountain pens and another $12,012 on cigars.”
However, Judith and Rudy Giuliani finally reached a settlement on December 10, 2019, when their divorce was finalized.
Samantha Maffucci is an editor for YourTango who focuses on writing trending news and entertainment pieces.
Editor's Note: This article was originally posted in August 2018 and was updated with the latest information.