THEY are the definition of vulgar rich.
A couple who spent $20 million on their wedding, decked out one of their homes with three hair salons and a nightclub, and angered neighbours by travelling everywhere in a convoy of gas-guzzling supercars.
But the union between heiress Petra Ecclestone and playboy James Stunt hit an unedifying low this week as their messy breakup got its first public airing, The Sun reports.
In scenes that have rocked England’s high society, a court heard allegations that Stunt had been abusive, violent and taken overdoses.
At one point the 35-year-old barged into his father-in-law, ex-Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone, 86, and called him a c***.
The case is likely to lead to a divorce and the “biggest settlement in celebrity history”. The couple share a $9.3 billion fortune, with assets including a $267 million LA mansion and a $169 million home in Chelsea, West London, at stake.
Petra Ecclestone and James Stunt, married in 2011, are valued at $9.3 billion.Source:Supplied
The most high-profile divorce lawyers in the country have been hired. One of them, Baroness Fiona Shackleton, who represented Sir Paul McCartney in his divorce from Heather Mills, is in 28-year-old Petra’s corner.
Stunt laughed, scoffed, lolled and panted his way through the hour-long preliminary hearing. He was asked by the judge to stop gesticulating as it was “very distracting”.
The court heard Stunt “strongly disputes” allegations made by his wife.
After being ordered to immediately leave their $127 million marital home so Petra — who has been living in a rented three-bedroom house since February — could move back in, manic Stunt flounced out of court, giving the finger to photographers.
He was last night preparing to “slum it” in a rented, $14,700 a week, $42 million, West London town house.
Stunt’s relationship with Barbie-like Petra has been characterised by lavish spending and poor taste — so perhaps it is little wonder it has come to this.
The couple met on a blind date set up by friends when Petra was just 17. She was a self-confessed loner who had never had a serious relationship, while he was a Lamborghini-driving playboy who once dated Harrods heiress Camilla Fayed.
Petra walked down the aisle in 2011 at the 15th century Odescalchi Castle in Tuscany, Italy — the same venue that hosted Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’ doomed nuptials in 2006 — wearing an $135,000 Vera Wang dress.
Formula 1 owner Bernie Ecclestone and his daughter Petra arrive at her 2011 wedding.Source:AFP
James kisses his fiance in Monaco three months before they wed in 2011.Source:Getty Images
The 350 guests in an air-conditioned marquee were served $6,000-a-bottle Chateau Petrus wine while they were entertained by Eric Clapton, Black Eyed Peas and DJ David Guetta.
Even billionaire Bernie, who picked up the bill, said the cost was “absurd”.
Since then, Stunt has transformed himself from scruffy oaf to perma-tanned man-about-town in tailored suits and with slicked-back hair.
As the son of a publishing director, he had a privileged upbringing. But it remains a mystery exactly how he made his fortune, which was once said to be $5.5 billion.
He signed a prenuptial agreement worth $27 million and his fortune includes a wine collection worth up to $25 million and two $6.7 million apartments in Chelsea.
Despite one rumour that he made his money on a single bet, he is believed to have used his father’s money to invest in shipping, before moving into the gaming industry.
He has also been involved in mining — predominantly gold — private finance and, more recently, in trading art.
But he has also presided over a string of unsuccessful companies which have been struck off. While there is no evidence of wrongdoing, financial experts say that some of his dealings are “unorthodox”.
‘Biggest settlement in celebrity history’ ... Petra and James’ $9b split gets messy.Source:Splash News Australia
No one is more sceptical about Stunt’s financial situation than Bernie, who has called James a “flash b*****d” and insisted on having him “well and truly checked out” before he married his daughter.
A source close to the family has said: “Bernie doesn’t know where the money comes from and James doesn’t say. Bernie knows he does business buying and selling but has never actually met anybody who’s ever heard of James in the art world.”
Stunt is a consummate show-off and said to be viciously rude.
During business meetings it is claimed he sits on a gilded throne, and he thinks nothing of spending $33,000 on champagne for pals in nightclubs, despite not drinking himself. He is renowned for travelling in a convoy of posh cars with private plates, which he parks outside luxury shops and art galleries, to the dismay of his Chelsea neighbours.
Petra’s father, former Formula 1 owner Bernie Ecclestone, paid for his daughter’s lavish 2011 wedding to Stunt.Source:Splash News Australia
His $1.6 million fleet includes two bullet and bombproof Rolls-Royces and he is always accompanied by a presidential-style gang of bodyguards. Questions have been asked as to exactly why he feels the need for such heavy security.
When it comes to flashiness, Stunt, who has been known to wear make-up, met his match in glamorous Petra.
The pair bought The Manor in Los Angeles, a $267 million property originally built to the specifications of Hollywood producer Aaron Spelling’s wife, Candy. She reportedly showed the architect a postcard of Buckingham Palace and said: “Build me this.”
The 123-room house features parking for 100 cars, a bowling alley, massage room and a walk-in wardrobe so big it has a staircase to another floor.
The 57,000 square-foot mansion LA mansion once owned by Candy Spelling makes up one chunk of the couple’s fortune.Source:Supplied
Petra and James go for a spin in one of their many luxury cars on Rodeo Drive.Source:Splash News Australia
Petra lives a life of luxury, as underlined by an Instagram photo posted by her equally spoiled sister Tamara, 33. It showed Petra enjoying a full-body pampering session as four beauticians worked on her simultaneously. Tamara captioned it: “It takes a village ...”
Although she insists she is a “hardworking girl”, Petra has barely finished a recognisable day’s work in her life.
She won a place at London art school Central Saint Martins but never took it up, then had a go at designing menswear with her Form range. It went bust within 14 months, after she got “tired of the grind of having to oversee it”.
She also ditched her luxury handbag business, Stark, which racked up $7 million in debts. While her unimaginably wealthy lifestyle may be the envy of many, Petra has often bemoaned her lot.
Petra Ecclestone (R) with her sister Tamara Ecclestone at the 2012 Monaco Formula One Grand Prix in Monte Carlo, Monaco.Source:Getty Images
She has complained about “hostility towards the [Ecclestone] surname” and whined about criticism she gets for her unearned wealth.
She once said: “There’s only so much apologising I can do for something I don’t need to apologise about ... I’m going to spend it and I’m going to enjoy it.”
One of her fiercest critics is her dad, who has publicly reprimanded his daughters for squandering his $4.2 billion fortune on fast cars, mansions and designer clothing.
An outrageously wealthy and outspoken despot with many enemies, Bernie’s mantra for dealing with rivals is: “Don’t threaten, just do.” In January he was finally ousted from his position as F1 boss after 50 years in the hot seat.
Happier times ... Petra and James attend a presentation of her menswear collection in 2009Source:Getty Images
He made headlines in recent years for publicly expressing his admiration for Adolf Hitler getting things done, and Vladimir Putin. He later apologised for any offence over his remarks about Hitler.
In 2014 he appeared in Germany on trial for bribery then paid $108 million to the court to settle the case, not admitting the allegations.
Although only 5ft 3in, Bernie is a ruthless negotiator feared by many. He divorced his daughters’ model mother, Slavica, 59, in 2009 and has been married to 39-year-old Fabiana Flosi since 2012.
But he has none of his daughters’ expensive tastes, preferring beer and crisps to champagne and caviar, and is horrified by Petra’s legal showdown with Stunt. He said yesterday: “She has suffered an awful lot and I couldn’t bear for her to suffer any more. I don’t like to see marriages broken up unnecessarily, she tolerated it for quite a long time. He has caused enough aggravation.”
The Ecclestone family’s Bambino Trust, run by Bernie, owns the mansion Stunt has been ordered out of. Bernie said that Stunt is “not a quiet-natured guy — he explodes for very little”.
He added: “He thinks I was behind Petra leaving him and it’s completely the opposite. I don’t want to see a marriage broken up.”
Stunt has expressed his desire for him and Petra to “work through our difficulties”, insisting that the marriage is not necessarily over.
But with this much dirty laundry, there is rarely a happy ending.
This article first appeared on The Sun.