Meet Britain’s richest divorcee, Kirsty Bertarelli – the former Miss UK and ex-wife of billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli who landed a US$480 million divorce settlement
- 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
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.