Heini Wathén
Finnish wife of businessman Mohamed Al-Fayed
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Heini Wathén-Fayed (née Wathén; born 24 February 1955) is a Finnish socialite and former model. She is the widow of Egyptian businessman Mohamed Al-Fayed.[1] She was an officer for The Ritz Hotel, London.[2]
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Heini Wathén | |
|---|---|
Wathén in 1972 | |
| Born | 24 February 1955 |
| Other name | Heini Wathén-Fayed |
| Occupation | Former model |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4, including Omar Fayed |
Modeling career
Heini Wathén signed with a modelling agency after winning several beauty pageants in Finland at 17 years old. She graduated from secondary school in 1975 and joined her sister in Paris as a model. She returned to Finland two years later to compete in the Miss Finland contest, but did not make it to the finals.[1]
During the Miss Finland contest, Wathén met Dodi Fayed, who was looking for new models in Finland. Fayed arranged for Wathén to model for Pierre Balmain's fashion house.[1]
Personal life
In Paris, Dodi Fayed introduced Wathén to his father, Mohamed Al-Fayed, who began a relationship with her. Al-Fayed soon invited Wathén to live with him on Park Lane in London. The couple married in 1985 and Heini became Dodi's stepmother.[1]
Wathén-Fayed had four children with Mohamed Al-Fayed.[3][4][5][6] The couple lived in Surrey and at a mansion in Westend, Espoo, Finland.[1] Al-Fayed died in August 2023, at the age of 94 in London.[7]