Former model, photographer, and interior designer Marlene Knaus is of Chilean and Austrian descent. However, she is better recognized as the ex-wife of the late Formula One racer Niki Lauda.
She was the three-time world champion’s first wife. Before deciding to part ways, Marlene and Niki were wed for more than 15 years.
Marlene had two children with the late Niki Lauda in addition to being his ex-wife. But ever since her divorce from Lauda, she has avoided the spotlight. Where is she now, then? Exists she still? After her initial divorce, did she get remarried?
Marlene Knaus’s questions are all answered right here. To learn everything about her, read the article.
Early Life Information
Page Contents
- 1 Early Life Information
- 2 Marlene Knaus’s Modeling Career
- 3 When they first met, Marlene Knaus and Niki Lauda were both in relationships
- 4 She is a parent of two kids
- 5 After her divorce, Marlene’s ex remarried
- 6 Niki Lauda, her first husband, passed away in 2019
- 7 Marlene Knaus received her ex-husband Niki’s wealth as an inheritance
There isn’t much information available on the former model and photographer Marlene Knaus because she has kept a low profile ever since her divorce. Similarly, nothing is known about her early years in the media. However, according to some reports, she was born and reared in the United States even though she is actually from Chile, a country in South America.
Marlene’s birthday would have been about 1949 if The Sun’s June 2019 article on her had been accurate. Marlene Knaus is 72 years old as of 2021. We are unable to obtain information regarding her birthday or her parent’s.
Although Marlene was born and reared in the United States, she adopted Austrian citizenship when she wed her ex-husband Niki Lauda.
Marlene Knaus’s Modeling Career
In the 1970s, Marlene began to pursue her dream of being a model. Despite not receiving many significant modeling chances in her early career, she was nonetheless making progress.
She also worked occasionally as an interior designer and photographer, according to the sources. Midway through the 1970s, Marlene began dating Niki Lauda and ended her profession.
When they first met, Marlene Knaus and Niki Lauda were both in relationships
We all know Marlene and Niki Lauda were a happy couple for many years, but many of us may not be familiar with their background. The truth is that both of them were still dating when they first met. Their first encounter took place in 1975 when they both happened to be there at actor Curt Jurgens’ party. The aspiring model was in a relationship with actor Curt at the time.
Niki Lauda, on the other hand, was married to Mariella von Reininghaus, his former fiancée. They had been together for many years and intended to wed soon. However, Marlene and Lauda fell in love with one another at first sight. They parted ways with their respective partners and began dating after a short period.
Marlene and Niki Lauda wed on March 11, 1976, less than a year after they first began dating. Niki Lauda had experienced a close call with death in a car accident at the German racetrack Nürburgring just five months prior.
She is a parent of two kids
Before their separation, Marlene and Niki Lauda had two sons: Lukas and Mathias Lauda. On April 5, 1979, three years after their wedding, they gave birth to their first child, Lukas Lauda. On January 30, 1981, Marlene gave birth to Mathias Lauda, the couple’s second son.
While their first son, Lukas, functioned as Mathias’ manager, their second son, Mathias, continued in his father’s footsteps. Additionally, Mathias uses social media sites like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter frequently, in contrast to his older brother, who prefers to avoid the internet.
Through his social media, we can see that Mathias is content to be dating Claire Lauda, with whom he has two children.
After her divorce, Marlene’s ex remarried
For more than 15 years, Knaus and her ex-husband Niki Lauda appeared to have the ideal marriage. Although they divorced in 1996, they had already officially broken up in 1991. The former couple withheld the cause of their divorce. While they were still married in the 1980s, Niki had an illicit relationship with an unnamed woman.
Niki omitted even giving the woman’s name. From his liaison, he had a son named Christoph Lauda. Although they continued to live peacefully for years after their separation, this might have been the catalyst for their breakup.
Marlene decided to live a quiet life after their divorce. As a result, information on her romantic life after her separation is scarce. Ibiza is supposedly where Marlene currently resides.
Her ex-husband, on the other hand, lived a happy marriage with his second wife until his passing. Birgit Wetzinger, an air hostess, was his wife.
They began dating in 2004, and four years later they got married. A son named Max and a daughter named Mia were also born twins to Niki and Birgit in 2009.
Niki Lauda, her first husband, passed away in 2019
Niki Lauda, the ex-husband of Marlene Knaus, passed away in 2019 after they had been divorced for more than 20 years. On May 20, 2019, Lauda, a three-time F1 world champion, passed away in his sleep at the University Hospital of Zürich in Switzerland. However, Lauda’s family chose not to disclose the reason for his passing.
Speaking of his health problems, Niki Lauda experienced numerous injuries throughout his F1 career, including one that almost cost him his life. He underwent a kidney transplant in 1997 after retiring from his racing career due to kidney failure. Florian Lauda, Niki’s brother, was the donor at that time.
But regrettably, his initial transplant didn’t last as long as anticipated, necessitating a second procedure in 2004. This time, Lukas, Niki’s firstborn child, offered to donate his kidney, but he wasn’t a good match for his father. Finally, Birgit Wetzinger, his ex-girlfriend, gave him a second chance at life.
When she decided to donate her organ, they had only been dating for eight months. They became closer as a result, and they eventually married in 2008.
Marlene Knaus received her ex-husband Niki’s wealth as an inheritance
Even though Marlene and Niki Lauda got divorced a few decades before the latter passed away, they nonetheless got along well. In actuality, Niki had made up his mind to leave his first wife with a specific sum of money following his passing. Few publications have acknowledged the fact, however, The Sun did so shortly after Niki Lauda passed away in 2019.
According to German media outlet Bunte, the article stated that Niki Lauda had a net worth of more than $550 million at the time of his passing. In his 2014-completed will, Niki left the majority of his wealth to his second wife Birgit, their two children, and his two boys with Marlene, Lukas, and Mathias Lauda.
In 1997, when Niki chose to leave his entire fortune to his first wife Marlene, and their two sons, he first wrote the will, according to The Sun. However, Niki changed his will two years later. This time, he appointed four trustees, including his lifelong friend Attila Dogudan, to distribute his estate following his passing.
Once more in 2014, he made the last change to his will, leaving his money to his two sons with his first wife Marlene, his two daughters with his second wife Birgit, and their two children. He had also included in his will his illegitimate son Christoph and his first wife Marlene at the time.
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