She was born in Brazil[2] in 1945,[3][4] the only child of Carmen Saint, a Brazil-born French socialite, and Elim O'Shaughnessy (1907–1966), an American diplomat.
The first four years of her life were spent in Brazil before her mother ended a short marriage with a Brazilian man and took her to Paris.
[7] Betty had a rough start in her late teens to early adult years, when she relied on drugs and alcohol to have a good time.
[7] She and Yves Saint Laurent, a long-time friend and partner in most activities, were notorious for drugs and partying [citation needed].
It only lasted for two years before she left, claiming, "I hated it, so I decided to take some pictures just to earn money to pay for my own Chez Regine glasses .
Saint Laurent's Le Smoking tuxedo for women, which was revolutionary in the world of style, made its debut on the slender woman.
Relationships with Loulou de la Falaise and Pierre Berge were also significant, as they were both figures in Catroux and Saint Laurent's lives.
[19] When not in Paris, François and Betty lived together at Les Ramades, a 16th-century stone house in the Lourmarins region of Provence, on 10 lush acres, which they bought in 1990.
François Catroux, Decorator of Choice for Aristocrats, Dies at 83 In an interview she said, "I did not have any activity, I am a person fully supported, maintained all my life.