Inside Edition host Deborah Norville announced on April 1 that she would be undergoing surgery to remove a cancerous thyroid nodule on her neck, which was initially pointed out to her through a viewer’s comment years ago. When Norville first had the lump checked out, it was nothing, and it was benign for years, until recently. “We live in a world of see something, say something, and I’m really glad we do,” the 60-year-old TV reporter said in a video message on her You Tube channel.
Going public with this diagnosis would be terrifying for many celebrities, but Norville remains extremely calm and confident, which is perhaps because she has her rock of almost 32 years by her side, husband Karl Gert Wellner. While Norville will not need chemotherapy or radiation, as the cancer is extremely localized, the cancerous nodule will need to be surgically removed.
While Karl, 65, is regularly is arm-in-arm with Norville’s at all her red carpet events, he’s a successful in his own right as the President and CEO of Papamarkou, an international wealth management firm for elite clients. After being introduced through family members, the Swedish businessman married Norville on December 12, 1987.
Here’s what you need to to know about Karl Wellner:
1. Karl and Deborah Have Three Children Together
Wellner and Norville’s eldest son Nick is 28, followed by Kyle, 24, and daughter Mikaela, who’s 21. While Norville graduated from University of Georgia and Wellner went to university overseas, all three kids choste to attend school at Duke.
While Nick graduated from the university in 2013, his younger brother Kyle followed his lead, and also played football on the Blue Devils’ team as a safety.
Mikaela is currently a freshman, and attends the schools’ ever popular NCAA basketball games with her mom.
2. His Firm Only Works With Clients That Have Million Dollar Assets
GettyDeborah Norville and husband Karl Wellner
According to Bloomberg, Wellner has been the President, CEO, COO, Chairman and Director of Papamarkou Wellner Asset Management Inc. since 2003. He is also the Founder and Partner at Kawe Kapital.
After Alexander Papamarkou passed away, Wellner took over. While speaking about the kind of clients his firm has in an interview with Elite Traveler Wellner said, “Very wealthy individuals, families. We have clients who are in the $10 million and up range, and we have clients who have several $100 million in investable assets. We really cover the gamut. We don’t like to say minimum levels for our clients. It depends, and usually it’s a relationship that grows over time. We also think multigenerational, so you may have a very wealthy patriarch who has children or grandchildren who start off quite modestly. We have about 120 client relationships and several billion dollars of assets that we advise on.”
3. Wellner Can Speak 7 Different Languages
Originally born in Sweden, Wellner spent most of his formative years overseas, and graduate of the Stockholm School of Economics. Throughout his studies, Wellner can speak fluent English, Swedish, German, French, Estonian, and is proficient in both Russian and Italian. Such skills are a huge asset since Wellner is constantly traveling the globe to visit his international clients.
“I often go to Europe because many of our clients are in Europe,” Wellner said. “London is a frequent spot. My last trip to Europe, I actually went to Istanbul, which was a highlight of the trip.” But he also likes to travel for pleasure.” I’m a fan of St. Barths. I think it’s a terrific island. I love skiing in Europe, Colorado, and Canada… [and] I actually took my daughter to sailing camp in Sweden.”
4. Karl and Deborah Met on a Blind Date & Were Engaged 4 Months Later
Deborah Norville and Karl Wellner
While it’s almost cliche for wealthy celebrities to go through multiple marriage, Norville and Wellner have stood the test of time for nearly 32 years. Married in New York City on December 12, 1987, the couple look to still be in love as ever.
Their marriage was announced in the Chicago Tribune for which they described how they first met on a blind date. ‘If it weren’t for my relatives, we probably would never have met,” Norville said. “I remember that at the end of the date, when he asked, `May I see you again?` I was really glad,” she said. Four months later, the two were engaged. He proposed twice, once in a sandwich shop in New York City, and then again while the two were in Brazil. “I said ‘yes’ both times,” Norville said.
Picking out a date wasn’t too difficult for the couple “We knew we wanted a Christmas wedding,” Norville said of marring on December 12 at at St. James Episcopal Church. “This was the closest we could come to the Feast of St. Lucia, a special holiday in Sweden.”
5. Wellner Would Love for His Kids to Join the Family Business
When Karl was asked if he’d like his children to follow in his footsteps he said, “Absolutely, but only if they’re interested and if they have the right character traits for it. It really is a personal business and you have to understand the way to deal with both the financial aspect of things and also understand and like people, because you really have to try and get into someone else’s skin and try to understand what their issues or problems are.”
Karl was also asked if his kids plan to maybe take after their mother’s business in TV Journalism. “They get exposure to both businesses,” he said. “So, they’re going to be the ones who will have to pick down the road. We’ll just help to usher them. At the end of the day, it’s up to them.”
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