£100m ‘spa to the stars’ boss is set for divorce
As one tycoon quits his mansion, another won’t budge...
WHEN they tied the knot in March 2009, Champneys owner Stephen Purdew and his bride Isabelle insisted their plan was to be ‘together for ever’.
So I am sad to report that 11 years after they made their vows in front of their celebrity friends, the couple have split and are in the process of getting divorced.
Stephen, 60, who is reportedly worth £ 100 million, is understood to have left the family’s mansion in the grounds of the Tring branch of the health spa chain and is staying in the resort itself while the couple decide how to split their assets. Isabelle, 39, a former model who met Stephen in a London nightclub, remains at the family home with the couple’s two children, aged 13 and ten.
Stephen last night confirmed the split and said the decision was amicable, before adding: ‘I can’t understand why she would want to divorce me – I thought I was perfect!’
Isabelle, who declined to comment, is the head of retail at the Champneys resorts. In the summer of 2013, she hosted Cherie Blair and her son Euan’s bride-to-be Suzanne Ashman and her bridesmaids for a pampering weekend.
Stephen and Isabelle married at St George’s in Mayfair before hosting a reception at nearby Claridge’s – a no-expenses-spared event that featured in glossy magazine Hello! Guests included Liam Gallagher and his former wife Nicole Appleton, Good Morning Britain host Piers Morgan, former England footballer Ian Wright and comedian Julian Clary. Robert Purdew, Stephen’s son from a previous relationship, was the best man.
Stephen, an avid Arsenal fan, also threw a glitzy party for his 60th birthday last year, where guests included former Strictly dancer Kristina Rihanoff and comedian Bobby Davro.
Champneys, which has four sites across the UK, was a favourite of the late Princess Diana.