Benita Alexander Age, Husband, Family, Biography & More

Bio/Wiki
Full name	Benita Jane Alexander-Noel [1]The New York Times
Profession(s)	• Producer • Writer • Director • Narrator
Known For	Being the ex-fiancée of Paolo Macchiarini, a Swiss thoracic surgeon
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	in centimeters- 165 cm in meters- 1.65 m in feet & inches- 5’ 5”
Eye Colour	Dark Blue
Hair Colour	Black
Career
Awards	• 2002: Best Report in a News Magazine Award for the episode ‘No Greater Love: The Story of Flight 93’ of the show Dateline NBC at the News & Documentary Emmy Awards • 2010: Outstanding Individual Achievement in a Craft: Writing Award for the documentary series ‘Inside the Obama White House’ at the News & Documentary Emmy Awards
Personal Life
Date of Birth	21 April 1966 (Thursday)
Age (as of 2023)	57 Years
Birthplace	Huntington Woods, Michigan, United States
Zodiac sign	Taurus
Nationality	American
Hometown	Huntington Woods, Michigan
College/University	Wayne State University, Michigan
Educational Qualification	Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism [2]Benita Alexander [3]LinkedIn - Benita Alexander
Religion	Episcopalian [4]Vanity Fair
Food Habit	Non-vegetarian [5]USA Today
Controversy	In January 2016, a widely-read American magazine published an article detailing the courtship and purported marriage arrangements involving Benita Alexander and Paolo Macchiarini. Assigned to produce a documentary titled 'A Leap of Faith' about Paolo in 2013, Benita became romantically involved with him during the project. However, in 2015, she discovered that he had been married for thirty years, covering the entire period of their courtship. The article exposed Macchiarini's alleged lies about being a surgeon to celebrities and world leaders such as former U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and extravagant wedding plans with Pope Francis officiating, Andrea Bocelli and Elton John performing, Enoteca Pinchiorri catering, and numerous celebrities in attendance. [6]Vanity Fair [7]Rolling Stone Macchiarini reportedly said that Pope Francis had blessed their wedding, which was denied by the Pope's spokesperson, saying that the Pope did not know anyone by that name and did not officiate such an event. [8]The Guardian
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Married
Affairs/Boyfriends	Paolo Macchiarini (Swiss thoracic surgeon and former regenerative medicine researcher)
Fiancé	Paolo Macchiarini
Engagement Date	25 December 2013
Marriage Date	• First Marriage- Year, 2003 • Second Marriage- 18 October 2012
Family
Husband/Spouse	• First Husband: John Noel (m. 2003, div. 2009) [9]Vanity Fair • Second Husband: Edson Ricardo Jeune (freelance ballroom dancer and ballroom dance instructor; m.2012)
Children	Son- None Daughter- Jessina (from John Noel)
Parents	Father- Ralph B. Alexander (nuclear physicist and analyst) Mother- Sandra Attebury (retired art teacher) Step-father- Fred Attebury [10]The New York Times Step-mother- Claudia Alexander [11]Vanity Fair

Some Lesser Known Facts About Benita Alexander

• Benita Alexander is an American executive producer, narrator, writer and director, who is the ex-fiancée of a Swiss thoracic surgeon and former regenerative medicine researcher named Paolo Macchiarini. He became known after getting involved in research fraud and displaying manipulative behaviour.

• At the age of 16th birthday, her mother had left the family. Two years later, her father, who got married to his neighbour, requested Benita to pack up and leave the house. ^[12]Vanity Fair

• In March 1998, Benita Alexander started working at Dateline NBC in New York. She produced a variety of stories and special reports, covering investigations, crimes, consumer issues, breaking news, and celebrity profiles. Her work included coverage of significant events like the 9/11 attacks in the USA and the creation of important specials like ‘Inside the White House’ and the 10th anniversary of 9/11. One of her notable investigative stories exposed scams in Guatemalan adoptions, receiving recognition. In 2007, she was appointed as a senior producer for weekends. In June 2014, she resigned from her position as senior producer at Dateline NBC.

• She became the supervising producer at The Meredith Vieira Show in June 2014.

• In 2013, Benita Alexander started dating Paolo Macchiarini, even though he was separated from his wife, Emanuela Pecchia. However, he said that their divorce was not finalized at that time. ^[13]ABC News ^[14]Good Morning America

• After getting engaged to Paolo Macchiarini, she had planned a wedding scheduled for 11 July 2015 to be held in Rome; however, after Paolo betrayed her, she decided to cancel the wedding. ^[15]Vanity Fair

• In August 2015, she served as the co-executive producer and narrator for TLC’s documentary ‘Break The Silence,’ addressing the issue of sexual abuse.

• She is the CEO of Berraca Productions, a company she founded to further her advocacy for empowering women who are survivors of fraud.

• In March 2016, she joined Efran Films, where she wrote, produced, and directed various TV series, including ‘The Great Rewrite’ (2016), ‘He Lied About Everything’ (2018), ‘Seduced by Evil’ (2019), and ‘Still a Mystery’ (2018-2020).

• In the 2018 documentary film ‘He Lied About Everything,’ Benita narrated the story of her fairy-tale romance with Paolo Macchiarini, which turned into a nightmare. After discovering that her fiancé, Paolo, was not who he claimed to be, Benita embarked on a journey to uncover the stories of the patients who died in his hands and the impact on their families. She has shared her experience on various national and international TV and radio programs. In 2019, the documentary film received a documentary category nomination at the WIN Awards (Women’s Image Network). In October 2020, her story premiered as the first episode of ABC’s primetime series, ‘The Con,’ hosted by Academy Award winner Whoopi Goldberg.
  

  Poster of the 2020 crime TV series ‘The Con’

• In August 2021, the third season of the ‘Dr. Death’ podcast was released, featuring a six-episode season titled ‘Miracle Man,’ which covers the story of Paolo Macchiarini. The podcast focuses on allegations of ethical misconduct and manipulation in Macchiarini’s medical practices, along with the deceptive aspects of his relationship with Benita Alexander. The series includes interviews with Benita Alexander, offering insights into the controversies surrounding Paolo. ^[16]Rolling Stone

• In 2023, she made an appearance in a documentary titled ‘Bad Surgeon: Love Under the Knife,’ which was released on Netflix, focusing on Paolo Macchiarini’s work in the field of regenerative medicine.
  

  Poster of the 2023 Netflix documentary ‘Bad Surgeon – Love Under the Knife’

• She is often spotted consuming alcohol in public.
  

  Benita Alexander holding a glass of white wine