Netflix's newest documentary follows the story of a woman who exposed her ex's crimes. Where is Bad Surgeon: Love Under the Knife's Benita Alexander now?
In this explainer article, we explore Benita Alexander's side of things. We take a look at her upbringing and how she fell in love with a superstar surgeon who turned out to be a conman.
Who is Benita Alexander?
Benita Alexander is a producer, narrator, writer, and director. She made headlines when she revealed her ex's scam to the world.
Before this revelation, Alexander had already appeared on shows like Dateline, which earned her a couple of Emmy awards. She also appeared in Inside Obama White House and Crimes Gone Viral. But when she started her career, she worked for local TV stations.
Who is Dr. Paolo Macchiarini?
When Alexander met the Swiss-Italian doctor, he was already being introduced as some sort of super surgeon who claimed to be friends with Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. It didn't help that Dr. Macchiarini reminded Alexander of George Clooney.
But how did the doctor earn the nickname "Miracle Man?" He was making waves in the medical field for creating the first synthetic organ transplant, which made use of a patient's stem cell to "regrow" their trachea.
He wasn't only able to scam his way into the TV show, the doctor also managed to score a prestigious post at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. So when Alexander met the doctor, she was already smitten by him.
How Did Benita Alexander Meet Dr. Paolo Macchiarini?
Alexander met renowned surgeon, Dr. Paolo Macchiarini when he guested on NBC's A Leap of Faith. Even though they were both married to other people, they started dating. They even flew to Venice and Europe for a romantic getaway in 2013. On Christmas Day, she received an engagement ring from her lover that was worth $100,000.
They initially planned to get married on July 11, 2015. But after discovering that Dr. Macchiarini had been lying to her, she broke up with him.
She first noticed the lies when she realized he made far-fetched plans for their upcoming wedding. For starters, Macchiarini claimed he could get Pope Francis to officiate their wedding. He also said he invited John Legend, Elton John, and Vladimir Putin to be at their big day.
When she learned that the Pope would actually be in South America during their wedding date, she started to have doubts about the man she was marrying. She decided to hire a private investigator and learned that he was already married to his wife of 30 years.
Not only that, she learned that her fiance was actually a con-man and had been living in Barcelona with another woman and two young kids. This led Alexander to create a documentary called He Lied About Everything.
Alexander's story has also been adapted by Netflix into a docuseries called Bad Surgeon: Love Under the Knife, which aired on November 29, 2023.
Where is Benita Alexander Now?
So here comes the golden question: where is Benita Alexander now?
As it turns out, she is still married to ballroom dancer, Edson Jeune. The two celebrated their 10th anniversary in 2022.
After her documentary became a hit, she continued to appear on various shows, like The Con. She is now the Executive Producer of Crimes Gone Viral, which airs on Investigation Discovery.
She is also the CEO of Berraca Productions, which has become her advocacy to help empower women who were victims of fraud.
Benita Alexander now resides in New York with her husband and daughter.
She also had her engagement ring appraised and found out that it was only worth $1,000. After learning this, she threw it into the Hudson River.
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