Kelly Bensimon canceled her wedding plans with Scott Litner four days before they were set to say “I do”
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Kelly Bensimon, former star of The Real Housewives of New York City, has called off her engagement to Scott Litner — four days before the wedding.
Bensimon explained to PEOPLE in June 2024 that she opted not to proceed with the marriage after Litner neglected to sign a prenuptial agreement. The cancellation came almost a year after the pair got engaged.
“Ultimately, my decision is nobody’s business, but I understand that there is speculation and gossip, and I want to put an end to all of it,” Bensimon said. “To be clear, he refused to sign a prenuptial agreement, and I refused to marry him. Full stop.”
Litner and Bensimon, who met at a New York Rangers game, got engaged in July 2023 after dating for over a year.
So who is Scott Litner, the former fiancé of Kelly Bensimon? Here’s everything to know about him and their relationship.
Litner is an experienced finance executive
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Litner boasts an impressive career in finance, having over two decades of experience at prominent firms like Bank of America, Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns. Since 2022, Litner has served as the executive director of sports and entertainment at Morgan Stanley, per his LinkedIn.
He’s involved in charity work
Beyond his career in finance, Litner is also on the Development Committee at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. The committee hosts an annual charity hockey game at Madison Square Garden in which the proceeds go to The Travis Roy Center For Enhanced Independence at Spaulding.
They met at a Rangers game
The two first met at a Rangers game when Bensimon was with her younger daughter, Teddy, and Litner was with his nephew. In a conversation with Interview Magazine in June 2024, Bensimon said Litner came up to “say hi” when security intervened.
“The security guy is like, ‘No, no, no, you can’t talk to her.’ And my daughter was like, ‘Mommy, he’s like, very attractive. He seems really nice. And his friend is really nice.’ Later on, we found out that was his nephew. So cute, right?” Bensimon told the outlet.
Litner proposed on Fourth of July weekend in 2023
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During a romantic getaway at Lake Geneva, Wis. on Fourth of July weekend in 2023, Litner proposed with a custom five-carat emerald-cut diamond ring from N.Y.C. jeweler Material Good.
Bensimon’s rep told PEOPLE in July 2023 that the two had been dating for “over a year” when he surprised her with the bespoke ring. The proposal in Lake Geneva only added to the excitement, as it holds sentimental value to the reality star.
“I was so moved that he brought me to a special place from my childhood to propose,” Bensimon told E! News in July 2023.
Bensimon said he was “great” with her daughters
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In December 2023, Bensimon, then gushing with wedding excitement, told PEOPLE how the two aligned with family values.
“He’s just a really genuine, nice, kind person,” she said. “He has a beautiful family, and is great with my girls, and is just a very grounded. You know, I’m a very grounded girl — I just have ungrounded tendencies. But I typically have my feet on the ground, and he does too.”
While Litner and Bensimon do not share children together, the model noted how he got along with her two daughters, Sea and Teddy, from her previous marriage to fashion photographer Gilles Bensimon from 1997 to 2006.
“I love his mother. His sisters are so nice. His kids are adorable,” Bensimon reiterated to Interview Magazine in June 2024.
Bensimon and Litner were planning two weddings
Litner and Bensimon had planned on having not one, but two wedding celebrations: a smaller, intimate ceremony at Litner’s mother’s home in Boston, followed by a larger event in the Hamptons later on.
“Why have one when you can have two?” Bensimon told PEOPLE in December 2023. “When this first started I was like, I’m going to be so relaxed about this. I’m going to be like, the coolest bride ever.’ But then I started doing it.”
The intimate gathering at Litner’s family home was set to take place on June 29, 2024.
Bensimon ended her engagement to Litner four days before the wedding
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With only four days until the pair were slated to say “I do,” Bensimon called the wedding off. The primary reason for canceling the wedding, she told PEOPLE, was due to Litner’s refusal to sign a prenuptial agreement.
In an official statement from The Real Housewives of New York City alum, Bensimon emphasized the importance of the prenup. “I’ve worked really, really, hard as a single mother and have always made smart decisions for myself and my family, and that will continue,” the statement read, adding that Litner “refused to sign a prenuptial agreement, effectively stalling their engagement mere days before the wedding.”