- The pop singer-songwriter, who co-wrote girl group All Saints’ hit single Black Coffee, was signed to Warner Records and sang alongside Ronan Keating
- Kirsty was once gifted a US$136 million Vava II mega, and kept luxury homes including a US$71 million mansion by Lake Geneva in the settlement
When former Miss UK Kirsty Bertarelli (née Roper) tied the knot with Swiss billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli, in 2000 she shot up the list of the wealthiest women in Britain and landed at the top spot. The pair, which reportedly had a combined net worth of £9.2 billion (US$12.5 million) were known for their luxurious lifestyle that included lavish parties, luxury mansions, and mega yachts.
However, when the couple divorced in the summer of this year, Kirsty found herself walking off with £350 million (US$476 million) in settlement fees – making her Britain’s richest divorcee.
So what do we know about the 50-year-old former beauty queen and her lavish lifestyle?
Her family owned Churchill China
While most of Kirsty’s net worth can be attributed to her marriage to Ernesto, she already came from a life of luxury before meeting the Swiss tycoon. She grew up in Stone, Staffordshire, and her father’s family owned Churchill China, which is one of the largest ceramic manufacturers in the world.
She went to the private girls-only Howell’s Schools in North Wales, and considered herself a “sensitive, emotional child” who wrote poetry and appeared in local musicals, according to The Sydney Morning Herald. She had a passion for music, and knew that she wanted to have a career in the music industry.
She won Miss UK and became a singer-songwriter
At 17 years old, Kirsty joined a modelling agency and competed for the Miss UK beauty pageant, where she was crowned the winner. She eventually participated in the 1988 Miss World pageant, where she finished as second runner-up.
According to Insider, her status as a beauty queen helped her start a career in music. She was eventually signed on by Warner Records and went on to co-write songs such as Black Coffee, which was inspired by her relationship with Ernesto and was made popular by the girl group All Saints.
She has also released several of her own singles and sang alongside the likes of Ronan Keating.
For her 40th birthday, she had ÂŁ2.5 million (US$3 million) party and received a ÂŁ100 million (US$136 million) megayacht
In 2011, Kirsty welcomed her 40th birthday with a lavish party in Miami Beach. The New York Times reported that more than 200 guests had flown in from Europe and were ferried in and out of the party by a caravan of limousines. The price tag of the birthday bash? A hefty £2.5 million (US$3 million).
To complete the celebration, Ernesto gifted her a 314-feet long superyacht called the Kirsty Bertarelli which Metro reported took 200 people to build. The yacht cost £100 million (US$136 million) and takes a whopping £250,000 (US$339,874) to refuel.
She sends her kids to the most expensive school in the world
In an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, Kirsty revealed that she likes to take a hands-on approach when it comes to raising her three children. She and Ernesto reportedly brought up their kids themselves, even refusing to hire a nanny.
“Every morning we’re preparing breakfast for them … We cook for them; I know it sounds crazy!” she said.
She is devoted to getting them the best education that life can offer, and enrolled them in the Institut Le Rosey in Rolle, Switzerland, according to the Daily Mirror. Known as the “School of Kings”, it is one of the world’s most expensive schools and has been attended by the former shah of Iran, Prince Rainier III of Monaco, and King Farouk of Egypt.
She was awarded the deeds to two mansions in Switzerland as part of the divorce
While the couple was married, they owned numerous luxury properties around the globe. The pair reportedly owned a ÂŁ10 million (US$13.6 million) mansion in Geneva, an ÂŁ8 million (US$10.9 million) estate in Gstaad, and a home in Belgravia, London, they bought for ÂŁ5.5 million (US$7.5 million), which Kirsty had renovated to include a two-floor mega-basement.
Now, Kirsty is walking away from the divorce with two new luxury Swiss properties to her name: a contemporary mansion by Lake Geneva worth £52 million (US$71 million), and she also owns an £8 million (US$10.9 million) chalet in Gstaad, according to The Independent.
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