Isn’t it interesting how a partner can be a stumbling block or even an offensive rock in their path? An African adage says it better. He says if you don’t go looking for trouble, your wrapper will definitely buy one for you. This is the case of Steve Bannon and his ex-wife, Diane Clohesy.
Bannon has been in the spotlight for a long time now. Not only is he good friends with the POTUS, Donald Trump, but he was also his campaign leader during the election. Upon taking office in 2017, he was hand-picked by the president to become his senior adviser and chief White House strategist. This shocked the nation especially since Bannon has no previous experience in government. Additionally, his news network has been accused of white nationalism, anti-Semitism and misogyny. Nonetheless, his nomination put him and his family in the spotlight.
Prior to his appointment, he was an officer in the Navy for several years and also attended Harvard Business School. After graduation, he worked as an investment banker and producer in Hollywood before joining Breitbart News in 2007 as a founding member.
He has been married three times and Clohesy happens to be his third wife. They were married from 2006 to 2009 when they finalized their divorce, but he continued to offer support to his ex-wife. However, at the time of his rise to power, his ex-wife struggled with drugs and violence. Read more about her below, including the traits that had the tabloids rolling.
Biography of Diane Clohesy
Before Diane Clohesy came to light as Bannon’s wife in 2006, she long generated a lot of controversy. There is no record available as of now regarding his birth details, including his date and place of birth, information about his education and his family except for his brother, Declan. Nevertheless, it is known that she was a model before her marriage and emigrated from Ireland in 1990 in search of better future prospects for her career.
Even with her movement, her height proved to be an obstacle on her way to having a successful modeling career. Despite the disappointment she must have felt at the time, she turned out to have a strong personality and managed to pull through. She then studied marketing at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and joined the Rose of Tralee International Festival as a model.
Years later, his path would cross with that of Bannon. When that finally happened, Bannon had already been married twice, which ended in divorce although the timeline of the relationship remains unclear. His first wife was Cathleen Suzanne Houff with whom he had a daughter in 1988. After their divorce, he tied the knot in April 1995 with a pregnant woman, Mary Louise Piccard, who gave birth to twin girls three days later. This second marriage would also end a little earlier than it had begun after Bannon was charged with domestic violence in January 1966. Although the case was dropped several months later, Piccard had filed for divorce at the start of the new year.
In 2006, Diane Clohesy became Bannon’s third wife, but lost the title in 2009 after their divorce. Despite the breakup, the couple continued to talk and even work together. Bannon continues to support his ex-wife both financially and in her career. Clohesy works as a director, producer and social media manager for Breitbart News. Bannon produced some of his conservative films like The Undefeated which is a film based on the book Going Rogue: An American Life by Sarah Palin. She is also a Tea Party activist.
All about Steve Bannon’s ex-wife
She assaulted a cabin crew
Diane Clohesy was banned from flying with AerLingus in December 2002 after assaulting cabin crew who tried to stop her from consuming alcohol in flight. She was fined for assault and damages following the incident.
Diane Clohesy attempted to smuggle marijuana
She has had several run-ins with the law since 2002. Another was in 2013, four years after her divorce. According to his brother, he revealed that Clohesy had struggled with substance abuse and also had a mental illness. So it came as no surprise, at least to him, when she tried to pass marijuana and a phone to a Miami-Dade inmate.
At the time, Bannon was still paying his ex’s rent, which begged the question of what relationship existed between the two, especially as it grew more and more infamous as he rose to fame.
Diane Clohesy has also been associated with criminal men after their divorce despite this, Bannon continues to offer emotional and financial support; a fact that his brother testifies.
She has a knack for creating scenes and scandals
While living in the coconut grove, Diane Clohesy created situations that required neighbors to call the police frequently. As well as their concern for her, calls have reportedly been made to report heavy arguments at her home. Apparently, she also called the police to report a break-in and told them that her gun had been stolen from her home.
Irregular voting arrangement
As stated earlier, one of the ways Bannon shows he supports his wife by paying her rent despite never having lived in any of the houses he rented for her. So in the weeks leading up to the 2016 election, he was surprised to learn that he had registered to vote in Florida (while working in New York) with a blank address.
This empty house was rented to his ex-wife from 2013 to 2015 and she had moved out before the election. The revelation was also shocking, especially as Trump called for a massive investigation into baseless claims of voter fraud by Hillary Clinton supporters. Also, during the election, a woman who was believed to be Clohesy was caught voting for Trump twice in Iowa. During her interview, she claimed that the elections were already rigged.
However, Tonya Edwards, a spokeswoman for the Broward County Supervisor of Elections said Ms Clohesy did not vote in the 2016 presidential election. Also, records show she did not vote. since November 2012.
Where is she now?
According to her brother, Diane Clohesy now leads a much calmer life and continues to recover from drug addiction. His most recent address was listed at 102 Governmental Center in Fort Lauderdale. Edwards revealed to New Times that the address is intended for use by homeless people, law enforcement officers, victims of domestic violence and other protected groups whose addresses are exempt from public registration.