Dita Von Teese (born Heather Renée Sweet; September 28, 1972) is an American burlesque dancer, model, costume designer, entrepreneur and occasional actress. She is thought to have helped repopularize burlesque performance, and was formerly married to Marilyn Manson.

Biography

Von Teese frequently takes Pilates and dressage lessons. Her house is dedicated to early 20th-century decor, including a complete pink kitchen with vintage appliances. She also has a room dedicated to hats.

Von Teese currently resides in Hollywood, California. She is a collector of vintage china, particularly eggcups and tea sets, and drives a 1939 Packard One Twenty Eight, a 1946 Ford Super De Luxe, a BMW Z4 and a 1965 Jaguar S-Type. She also owned a 1939 Chrysler New Yorker from 1997 to December 2010.

Prior to her marriage to Marilyn Manson, she was romantically linked to vocalist/guitarist Mike Ness of Social Distortion and to actor Peter Sarsgaard. She has also spoken of several same-sex experiences, including a serious relationship with a woman when she was 20. She dated French aristocrat Louis-Marie de Castelbajac from 2009 to 2012.


Marriage to Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson had been a longtime fan of hers and was a member of her website. They first met when he asked her to dance in one of his music videos and though she was unable to, the two remained in contact. On Manson's 32nd birthday, in 2001, she arrived with a bottle of absinthe and they became a couple. Manson proposed on March 22, 2004, and gave her a 1930s, 7-carat (1.4 g), European round-cut diamond engagement ring. On November 28, 2005, they were married in a private, non-denominational ceremony at home. A larger ceremony was held on December 3 at Gurteen Castle in Kilsheelan (County Tipperary), Ireland, the home of their friend, Gottfried Helnwein. The wedding was officiated by surrealist film director and comic book writer Alejandro Jodorowsky, was attended by actor Eric Szmanda, Lisa Marie Presley, burlesque star Catherine D'Lish, artist Jessicka, producer Christian Hejnal and Manson's band mate Madonna Wayne Gacy and appeared as a feature in the pages of Vogue.

On December 29, 2006, Von Teese filed for divorce from Manson citing "irreconcilable differences". Von Teese left their house empty-handed on Christmas Eve, and was not able to get in touch with Manson to inform him of her intention to divorce him. In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Von Teese stated, "I wasn't supportive of his partying or his relationship with another girl. As much as I loved him I wasn't going to be part of that." Von Teese also stated that she gave Manson an ultimatum, and said that "it didn't work. Instead it made me the enemy." Von Teese did not seek spousal support and expressed no interest in his assets. The news broke for the public and for Manson on his birthday on January 5, 2007, when he was served the divorce papers.