Who

The ex-wife of billionaire Ron Perelman, Duff is best known for going through what may be the messiest, nastiest divorce in history.

Backstory

Patricia Orr spent part of her childhood living in Europe—her father worked for Hughes Aircraft—and graduated from Georgetown before working in politics as a Democratic fundraiser and marrying her childhood sweetheart, Thomas Zabrodsky. In the late '70s, she married her second husband, a lawyer named Dan Duff; after the couple divorced, Pat settled in LA where she met—and soon wed—Hollywood hotshot Mike Medavoy, a relationship that helped her establish a rep as a political fundraiser extraordinare, connecting Democratic politicians with deep-pocketed entertainment moguls happy to fill their coffers. Duff's relationship with Medavoy didn't last long: In a much talked-about split, Duff walked out on him in 1994, shacking up with the much richer Ron Perelman and moving to New York. After a quickie conversion to Judaism, Duff and Perelman married on December 12, 1994, a day before she gave birth to their child, Caleigh Sophia. But Duff's third marriage wasn't one for the ages either. Within 18 months, the marriage had crumbled amid controversy. These days, the four-time divorcée hosts Duff Talk on the resort channel Plum TV.

Drama

Duff and Perelman's divorce was a mess of epic proportions and a tabloid obsession for months—although that was probably to be expected considering what Perelman said to Duff when he found out she'd filed for divorce: "I will destroy you, and I will enjoy it," he allegedly told her. Perelman initially proposed a $30 million settlement (or $55,000 a day for every day they were married); Duff argued that she needed as much as $7 million a year in child support. The couple went on to spend an estimated $15 million on lawyers as the case played out in court and in the papers. Duff was portrayed in the press as the patron saint of gold diggers; Perelman came off as cheap and mean, particularly after he suggested Duff could feed their daughter on a budget of $3 a day. In the end, Duff lost the case, along with primary custody of their daughter, Caleigh. Not surprisingly, she's spent the last few years lobbying Albany to change the state's "antiquated" divorce laws. She returned to the tabloid spotlight in 2008 when Perelman tried to discontinue Caleigh's weekend visits; the case was settled out of court in December 2008.

Personal

Since the breakup, Duff has reportedly dated a handful of other boldfaced names, including former Senator Bob Torricelli, billionaire Mort Zuckerman, and hair guru Frédéric Fekkai. She has not, though, tied the knot again. Duff divides her time between the Upper East Side and a home in Southport, Conn.