Kelly Bensimon has no regrets about calling off her wedding to ex-fiancé Scott Litner just four days before the couple of two years were set to tie the knot.
The Real Housewives of New York City star decided not to go ahead with the ceremony because Scott had refused to sign a prenuptial agreement.
“I’m ready to explore and enjoy the life I worked so hard to create for myself and my kids,” the reality star explained. “Personally, it feels good to feel good. I’m ready to rediscover who I am at this age and reintroduce this new version of myself to the world.”
“I’m just shifting gears and obviously focusing on the girls, my family, my friends and my work,” she revealed, adding that she’s looking forward to upcoming events in the Hamptons and “new opportunities.”
Now, three weeks after making the life-changing decision, she is urging other women to sign a prenuptial agreement before marrying their partners.
“I’m obviously very disappointed, but it’s not something that just happened out of the blue. It’s something that’s built up over time and the prenup was very important to me,” Kelly, 56, told DailyMail.com exclusively at The Daily Front Row’s swankiest party at Sunset Harbor in the Hamptons on July 13.
Kelly Bensimon has no regrets about calling off her wedding to ex-fiancé Scott Litner just four days before the couple of two years were due to tie the knot because of his refusal to sign a prenuptial agreement.
Kelly, 56, spoke to DailyMail.com exclusively about her advice to all women to sign a prenup at The Daily Front Row’s poshest party at Sunset Harbor in the Hamptons on July 13.
“It’s like when you’re a single mother, whether you have thousands or 100 million in your account, women are going to need to protect themselves and I’m not going to take any chances,” she added.
Since revealing her plans to call off her wedding, the reality star said the conversation about the all-important prenup “opened a lot of doors.”
“It’s about having respect and self-worth, which is what I have. I’m raising two girls who are very important to me. But the prenup is very important because it speaks to more than just your own self-worth.”
She continued: ‘I think the biggest lesson from this is just protecting myself and my friends and being a solid woman that people can turn to. I’ve had so many people come up to me and say, ‘This happened to me…’ I just have so much empathy for them and I try to be a solid sounding board for them.
“It’s been really cool. I’ve found it really helpful because I’ve met a lot of women who have been through similar situations, and with my family, everyone talks about balance,” she continued. “Balance is so important. You have to work hard, have a lot of fun, love a lot and care a lot.”
The real estate agent has noticed that she is now “better off” as a single woman and described that she feels “so much better” and “looks so much better.” Her friends even think that the tone of her voice is “very different.”
Kelly and Scott, both based in New York City, were scheduled to marry June 29 in Boston in the financier’s mother’s backyard in front of friends and family.
Looking ahead, Kelly said you “put yourself at a disadvantage” if you plan to get married without a prenup, since “every state has a different law” when it comes to divorce, or even death, and “the law doesn’t care if he loved you that much.”
“I’m not going to let my girls do it and I’m not going to do it,” she insisted, referring to her two daughters, Sea, 26, and Teddy, 23, whom she shares with her ex-husband, Gilles Bensimon.
Kelly was married to the famous photographer from 1997 to 2006.
“Obviously, I’m very disappointed, but it’s not something that just happened. It’s something that’s been building up over time and the prenup was very important to me,” explained Kelly, who was spotted with ex-fiancé Scott Litner in October 2023 in New York.
“It’s like when you’re a single mother, whether you have thousands or 100 million in your account, women are going to have to protect themselves, and I’m not going to take any risks,” she added.
“The most important thing about this is to protect myself and my friends and be a strong woman that people can turn to,” she said.
The RHONY alum has been grateful for all the support she’s received since calling off her summer wedding, especially from the other men in her life.
“People always say you’re a very strong woman. I’m not really a strong woman,” she admitted. “I was raised by a twin brother (Tom Killoren) and an amazing father who had a lot that made me very proud. And there’s a misconception about me on Housewives.
“They say, ‘Oh, she’s an idiot.’ I’m not an idiot,” she insisted. “I’m super honest and I have a strong sense of integrity, and I think in this day and age where we’re raising these girls in this tumultuous environment, it’s imperative that women really stand up for themselves and for each other. It’s more than a prenup, more than that.”
Scott, who has been married twice and has children of his own, proposed to Kelly on a speedboat in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, over the Fourth of July weekend in 2023.
It was reported that shortly after the proposal, she began renting her apartment in the midtown Manhattan police building for $28,500 a month, while spending time living with her fiancé in a separate space.
Reflecting on the failed relationship, the Douglas Elliman broker believes she shouldn’t have moved in with Scott during their engagement.
“My dad always says, ‘You’re giving away milk.’ So if you want people to respect you, don’t live with them. I don’t care if you need to save money, get a roommate,” Kelly said.
“Don’t live with your partner before you get married, unless you don’t want to get married for real and you’re together and you have a more unique relationship, not a traditional relationship. If you want to trust in a relationship, don’t live with him or her before you get married,” she advised.
When asked why she felt that way, she replied: “Because things are different when you live with other people. The risks are different. Everything is different when you’re married. Totally different.”
Kelly’s father, Thomas Killoren, passed away in August 2022. In an Instagram post shared at the time, the former model thanked her father for “instilling strong values and morals in her.”
Looking ahead, Kelly said you “put yourself at a disadvantage” if you plan to get married without a prenup, since “every state has a different law” when it comes to divorce, or even death, and “the law doesn’t care if he loved you that much.”
“I’m not going to let my girls do it and I’m not going to do it,” she insisted, referring to her two daughters, Sea, 26, and Teddy, 23, whom she shares with her ex-husband, Gilles Bensimon.
“I’ve found it very helpful because I’ve met a lot of women who have gone through similar situations, and in my family, everyone talks about balance,” she continued. “Balance is very important. You have to work hard, have a lot of fun, love a lot and care a lot.”
Kelly also urged men and women not to live with their partners before getting married, a mistake she said she and Scott made.
Kelly is now back living in the police building, as Page six reported, and she is focusing on her family, friends and work, as well as taking up a new hobby: polo lessons.
Comparing her love life to her work life, she said, ‘In real estate, they always say time kills every deal. So when you’re apart from people, clarity comes, you go through all these different stages of loss – anger, sadness – but you get clarity and I deserve it.
“If it’s not the best, don’t do it. It doesn’t matter if I’m 56 or 22. You know, I deserve the best.”
She concluded: “My father always tells me, ‘When you least expect it, someone will be there. ‘ So I’d rather work on myself and take care of my friends and family and make sure they get the best of the best, and then that (future soulmate) will see a positive person and want to be around them.”
