- Mary Jo Buttafuoco was born on May 15, 1955, in the United States.
- She is an author as well as a motivational speaker.
- Buttafuovo’s ex-husband’s lover shot her in the face in the early ’90s.
- The attack left Mary deaf in one ear and paralysis on one side of her face.
Mary Jo Buttafuoco is a motivational speaker and novelist from the United States. Buttafuoco was shot in the face by her husband’s lover in 1992, and she survived.
Buttafuoco wrote a book some years after the incident that paved the road for her to pursue a career in motivational speaking.
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What is the identity of Mary Joe Buttafuoco? Her Professional Background
Mary Joe is currently well-known for her writing.
“Getting It Through My Thick Skull: Why I Stayed, What I Learned, and What Millions of People Involved with Sociopaths Need to Know,” her book about her awful experience, was published in 2008.
Mary was inspired to create the book after her son described her ex-husband Joey as a sociopath.
She also named her book after her mother’s saying, which goes something like “when are you going to get it through your thick skull?”
Apart from the shooting, Buttafuoco revealed in her book how she was duped into staying with a sociopath.
Mary Joe Buttafuoco is currently a motivational speaker.
She frequently shares her story in order to increase awareness regarding facial paralysis.
The Attack On Mary Jo And Its Aftermath
Mary was in her house, which she shared with her ex-husband Joey, on May 19, 1992.
Amy Fisher, with whom her husband had been having an affair since July 1991, then arrived at their home to face Mary.
According to Mary, she went to open the door when Fisher rang the doorbell.
Fisher drew out her as soon as the door opened.
She was shot in the face with a 25-caliber gun.
Mary’s injuries left her with a half-paralyzed face and one ear deaf.
Mary suffered from the condition for many years before undergoing facial re-structure surgery in 2006.
The surgery included operations such as static facial suspension, eye lift, and facelift.
She was able to grin again after the operations.
Mary later had surgery to widen her ear canal, which improved her hearing and prevented future infections.
Buttafuoco is still paralyzed on one side of her face and can only hear with one ear.
Meanwhile, physicians determined that removing the bullet from Mary’s neck would be too hazardous.
Fisher, Mary’s assailant, was forgiven
Amy Fisher, Mary’s assailant, was sentenced to five to fifteen years in prison for her crime.
In 1999, she was released on parole after serving seven years.
According to reports, Mary urged the judge to press for her release.
Later, in an interview with Fox News, Buttafuoco revealed that it took her years to forgive Fisher.
“A long time… “I despised her,” Mary admitted. She continued, saying:
“I despised what she did; I despised the fact that she came to my house and disrupted my life.”
This punk had the audacity to come and do this.
The drug would make me quiet… Then you’re angry again.”
Mary went on to say that after recovering from her injuries, she became addicted to drugs and wanted to get rid of them.
In 1999, she enrolled in the Betty Ford Center for Rehabilitation.
Mary felt she needed to move on from the incident during her time in rehab, and she believed that forgiving her was the best way to do it.
Mary and Joey Buttafuoco’s Marriage Life
Mary and Joey Buttafuoco were married in 1977.
Joey “Joey” A. Buttafuoco owned an auto body shop.
They have two children: Paul Buttafuoco, a son, and Jessica Buttafuoco, a daughter.
Mary claimed to Fox News that she met her ex in high school.
Before they chose to marry, the pair had spent time with their families.
She stated that they had been together for twenty years prior to the incident.
After Joey’s lover shot Mary in 1992, their married relationship drew public attention.
Mary and Joey were a huge issue after the occurrence.
Following the shooting, Joey was also charged with a crime.
Furthermore, Joe was arrested in Los Angeles in 1995 for sexual solicitation.
Mary was continually defending her husband and blaming others, including Fisher, at the time.
But as time passed, Mary’s marriage began to unravel.
On February 3, 2003, she filed for divorce in Ventura County Superior Court.
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Is Mary Jo Buttafuoco Remarried After Divorce?
Mary kept a low profile after her divorce from her first spouse.
Mary returned to the spotlight when she began working as a motivational speaker and author.
Mary married Stu Tendler in 2012, seven years after her divorce.
They exchanged vows in Las Vegas.
Tendler, Mary’s second husband, died of cancer six years after their marriage in 2018.
Mary’s ex-husband Joey, on the other side, married Croatian national Ivanka Franjiko.
They married nearly two years after Joey’s divorce in 2005.
