Billionaire Athina Onassis’ decision to remain out of the spotlight in her own words in very rare interview

However, the now 41-year-old has shunned the spotlight and the socialite life that many others in her family enjoyed, including her grandfather Aristotle’s former wife Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

Instead, she focused on life as a competitive show jumper and equestrian, and beyond her own riding, she is also a prominent entrepreneur and patroness in the field. She has only made a few public appearances in recent years, her most recent being at a fashion show in Barcelona in April.

Athina has also rarely ever given interviews, although during a notable conversation with French equestrian magazine L’Eperon in 2013, she shared more insight into her decision to lead a more private life. 

“The social whirl was never my thing,” she said at the time. “Everyone likes living in their own way. Me, I like the tranquility we have.” Then, Athina was also nearly a decade into her marriage to Brazilian show jumper and two-time Olympic bronze medalist Álvaro Affonso de Miranda Neto.

More popularly known as “Doda,” Athina and Doda began dating in 2003, following which she moved to São Paulo, Brazil. They tied the knot in 2005 at an ultra-private ceremony, which her father Thierry did not attend.

In 2016, the couple separated following reports of Doda’s infidelity, and after a complicated legal battle over ownership of horses and other assets, the pair divorced in 2017. That point, as well as Athina’s desire for privacy, were also brought up in a statement shared by her lawyers at the time.

“Ms. Onassis will appreciate your respecting her privacy during this time of profound grief,” it read. “Ms. Onassis confirms that all horses are the property of her personal equestrian sporting entities.”

“Ms. Onassis has done her utmost to accommodate Mr. de Miranda Neto, to whom she was married for eleven years, even granting him the use of her horse Cornetto K during the 2016 Rio Games, a memorable opportunity for him to represent Brazil on home soil,” it continued. “Ms. Onassis has supported Mr. de Miranda Neto’s career all these years and is currently absolutely astonished that he is now essentially seeking a form of support.”