Rachel Uchitel

Rachel Uchitel
Born	1975 (age 49–50)
Occupation	Nightclub manager, hostess, TV correspondent, media personality
Known for	Photographed in 9/11 aftermath Affair with Tiger Woods and David Boreanaz
Spouse(s)	Steven Ehrenkranz (m. 2004; divorced) Matt Hahn (m. 2011–2014; 1 child; divorced)

Rachel Uchitel (/ˈjuːkɪtɛl/; born 1975) is an American nightclub manager, hostess, and TV correspondent. She first encountered publicity when, following the September 11 attacks, a photo of her holding a picture of her fiancé, who worked in the World Trade Center, was published by the New York Post and circulated worldwide. She made headlines again in 2010 as one of golfer Tiger Woods' alleged mistresses as well as for an affair with actor David Boreanaz. In 2010 she appeared in the fourth season of the American reality television series Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, which depicted her struggle with addiction.

Early life

Uchitel is the granddaughter of Maurice Uchitel (1911–2000), a Ukrainian-born Jewish American restaurant and nightclub owner in the 1950s and 1960s, including the El Morocco club.

When Uchitel was 15, her father died, reportedly from an overdose of cocaine, which according to her, required her to mature quickly, and which she claims was one of the incidents in her life that led to her own addictions later.

She graduated from Millbrook School in 1992 and graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 1996 with a degree in psychology. She spent five years after college as a news producer in New York for Bloomberg Television.

Career

Television

Uchitel began her career after college working in television and film, with a five-year stint as a producer in the Bloomberg News television division, a period in which she became "engaged to a man who died in the 9/11 attacks." Uchitel has served as a special correspondent on nightlife for Extra.

VIP hosting

In 2005, Uchitel moved to Las Vegas and became a "VIP host" at the Tao in Las Vegas, Nevada, whose ownership included Jason Strauss. In 2005–6, she was the VIP hostess at the Tao. She states in an interview:

In a random career move and a life-changing experience, I found myself living in Las Vegas to launch Tao nightclub and restaurant, which quickly became the number-one grossing venue in the world. Two years later, I was back in New York to oversee VIP operations for all of their companies and venues, such as Stanton Social, Marquee, Tao Bistro, and Dune.

Uchitel ran the VIP section of "some of the most successful clubs in New York." As of 2009, Uchitel was living in Las Vegas, but was self-described as being "too old for being a VIP host anymore".

Other endeavors

In a November 2010 interview with the UK newspaper Daily Mail, Uchitel is reported to have said she had applied for a license as a private detective.

In December 2013, Uchitel opened a luxury children's boutique on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The store is named Wyatt Lily, after her 2-year-old daughter, and was named "Best Kids Birthday Presents" in New York magazine's annual Best Of issue in 2015.

Media appearances

Uchitel was a cast member in the fourth season of the VH1 reality television program Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, which documents notable persons being treated for substance abuse. Dr. Drew Pinsky, who normally is not involved with casting for the series, reportedly visited Uchitel personally in order to convince her to be cast on the show, for which she was paid $500,000 to appear, which is double the amount initially offered to her by producers. The season premiered in December 2010 and ran until January 2011. During the course of filming, Uchitel spoke of how her father's death when she was 15, the loss of her fiance in the September 11 attacks, and her tendency to impulsively enter into relationships contributed to her addiction. Following her treatment by Pinsky, Uchitel entered a sober living facility in Malibu, California, though she left the facility with Pinsky's permission to visit the World Trade Center site, where she met with other 9/11 families.

Personal life

Uchitel had been engaged to James Andrew O'Grady, an investment banker, who was killed in the September 11 attacks of the World Trade Center. A few days later, she appeared on the front page of the New York Post holding a picture of O'Grady, which was republished worldwide. Uchitel and her fiancé's family subsequently debated the disposition of his estate.

In 2004 Uchitel married Wall Street trader and childhood friend Steven Ehrenkranz. Their marriage lasted four months.

In late 2009, The National Enquirer published a story that alleged that Uchitel had had an affair with Tiger Woods at the Australian Masters, an allegation Uchitel denied to the Associated Press. However, Uchitel is reported to have been photographed by the National Enquirer checking into Tiger Woods' hotel while in Australia in 2010. She later scheduled a news conference to discuss Woods' alleged affairs, but she and her attorney Gloria Allred cancelled due to "unforeseen circumstances". According to Lisa Bloom, a CBS news legal commentator and Allred's daughter, Uchitel was given a cash settlement to cancel the news conference.

Uchitel had another alleged affair, with married actor David Boreanaz. In May 2010, The Huffington Post released text messages to support the affair allegations. Uchitel initially stated that she was not involved with Boreanaz, but later admitted to the affair. During a May 14, 2010 appearance on TMZ Live, Uchitel discussed Boreanaz and "her new life as the most famous mistress on the planet". She denied extorting him over their alleged affair.

On October 2, 2011, she married insurance underwriter and former Penn State fullback Matt Hahn. On May 15, 2012, Uchitel gave birth to a daughter named Wyatt Lily. Hahn filed for divorce from Uchitel in 2013. The divorce was finalized in January 2014.

External links

• Rachel Uchitel at the Internet Movie Database

• Uchitel discusses these issues in Episodes 1 and 6 of Celebrity Rehab's fourth season, which premiered on December 1 and December 22, 2010, respectively.
• ("Rachel Uchitel, who graduated from UNH in December 1996 with a degree in psychology…")
• Industry Insiders: Rachel Uchitel, VIP Diva, Black Book, November 30, 2009
• Strip hot spots reap harvest from bottle-service tables Las Vegas Review-Journal, January 8, 2006
• Graham, Caroline. "I only wanted to be loved: Rachel Uchitel breaks her silence on her affair with Tiger Woods", Daily Mail, November 13, 2010
• [1] Best Kids Birthday Presents New York magazine March 2015
• Rachel Uchitel Signs Up for Celebrity Rehab 4
• "Rachel Uchitel Leaves Sober Living For Ground Zero" RadarOnline; August 31, 2010
• ("The image of Rachel Uchitel making an emotional plea as she searches for her fiancé in Manhattan was used in newspapers worldwide.")
• While the NY Times citation states that the conclusion was drawn on the basis of her role as a legal analyst, the NYT article cites a CBS News video which makes clear that Lisa Bloom's conclusions were substantially based on her personal experience of having worked with her mother. See Laurie Winer, June 18, 2010, op. cit., and the "…could mean only one thing…" link to the CBS video, therein.
• Rachel Uchitel weds boyfriend Matt Hahn