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Confidentiality clause puts new wrinkle in anti-aging doc's divorce settlement

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The former wife of anti-wrinkle guru Dr. Nicholas Perricone cannot publicly discuss their relationship, Connecticut's highest court said yesterday, ruling that a confidentiality agreement she had signed when their marriage was on the rocks was still valid.

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The former wife of anti-wrinkle guru Dr. Nicholas Perricone cannot publicly discuss their relationship, Connecticut's highest court said yesterday, ruling that a confidentiality agreement she had signed when their marriage was on the rocks was still valid.

Perricone, who has written several best-selling books and offers a range of skin care and dietary advice, obtained a restraining order in 2005 that prevented his former wife, Madeleine, from discussing their divorce after he learned she planned to appear on a national television show.

The couple were divorced in 2004, but a year earlier they signed a confidentiality agreement. A trial court granted the restraining order, citing the confidentiality agreement and recognizing that Nicholas Perricone's business interests could be harmed.

His former wife appealed, citing her free-speech rights, but the high court ruled unanimously that Madeleine Perricone had waived her First Amendment rights.

The Perricones were locked in a bitter divorce battle in which Madeleine Perricone accused her former husband of cheating and of emotional abuse during their eight-year marriage. In turn, he said his fourth wife had a history of mental illness and dug into her stint as a call girl, the Hartford Courant reported in 2006.

Nicholas Perricone at the time cleared $457,000 per month from his company and royalties on patents and books. He spent nearly $24,000 per month on travel and entertainment, while Madeleine Perricone reported spending $5,000 per month on clothes for herself and her daughter.

The couple had angry confrontations at the daughter's school, argued over the use of a luxurious vacation home in Florida and a trip to see Pope John Paul II.

Nicholas Perricone's best sellers include titles like "The Wrinkle Cure" and "The Perricone Prescription." He also has created a high-end line of skin-care products. *