Miss UK Kirsty Bertarelli, 51, who divorced billionaire Ernesto for £400M reveals new mystery lover

Former Miss UK beauty queen Kirsty Bertarelli – who became Britain’s richest divorcee netting a £400million settlement after splitting her billionaire husband last year – has revealed she has a mystery toyboy lover in a touching Instagram snap.

The model and pop singer, 51, shared a romantic photo which shows them holding hands on a holiday walk – her in a yellow dress and cap and him wearing a blue t-shirt and grey camo shorts.

Miss Bertarelli secretly divorced husband Ernesto, with whom she has three children, in October last year after their 21-year marriage hit the rocks.

She spoke fondly of her new man to her Instagram fans, writing: ‘Stepping forward in harmony – in the moment just you and me – taking in life’s beauty in perfect synchronicity –

‘Sometimes the stars are aligned – you held my hand and made me shine…’

‘Sometimes in life you’re given a second chance – don’t let go just be strong – love knows no bounds when it’s pure and sweet – stable as the ground beneath your feet. Thank you babe.’

The post was ‘hearted’ by 710 people on Instagram and received 97 comments congratulating the loved-up model on her newly found love.

She has also posted bikini-clad photos of herself in a on a Mediterranean yachting trip, and posed with friends in Sardinia saying she was ‘blissfully happy’.

A friend of Miss Bertarelli said she had been ‘through the mill’ but is now in a better place with ‘close friends, a new younger man, and a bulging bank balance,’ the Sun reported.

Earlier this month she came down with a bad case of shingles, which left her ‘feeling like a leper with painful nerve damage,’ but fortunately she seems to have recovered to spend time with her friends and new man.

Before their divorce, the couple were jointly listed in 14th place in last year’s Sunday Times Rich List with a fortune estimated at a staggering £9.2billion – bigger than the gross domestic product of many countries, including the Bahamas, Brunei and Armenia.

In addition to her settlement, she has been given a spectacular modern house by Lake Geneva in Switzerland bought this year for £52million. She also owns an £8million chalet in the Swiss ski resort of Gstaad.

Mrs Bertarelli was born Kirsty Roper in the Staffordshire market town of Stone to a well-off family behind one of the world’s biggest manufacturers of ceramic products, Churchill China in Stoke-on-Trent.

After moving to London, she partied with socialites such as Elizabeth Hurley, Tamara Beckwith and Tamara Mellon.

Among those who fell for her charms was gambling and wildlife park heir Damian Aspinall, whose ex-wife Louise named her in their divorce.

But Mrs Bertarelli denied that anything happened while Damian and Louise were still together. ‘He was already separated,’ she explained. ‘At least, that’s what he told me.’

She joined the super-rich after meeting bio-tech tycoon Bertarelli, 56, at a dinner party in Sardinia. Twice a winner of sailing’s top prize, the America’s Cup, he is said to have bought the £100million British-built superyacht Vava II for his wife’s 40th birthday.

After being crowned Miss UK in 1988, Kirsty was second runner-up in that year’s Miss World pageant. She then became a successful pop singer and songwriter. She co-wrote All Saints’ No 1 single Black Coffee, a worldwide hit in 2000.

‘So many people would just go off on their yacht and spend their life drinking champagne, but not me,’ she said.

‘You should grasp life. Singing has been inside me my whole life and I can’t not do it.’

When the couple separated after 21 years last year, although the size of her payment was not disclosed, Miss Bertarelli reportedly agreed to a £350 million payout. 

Mrs Bertarelli was represented by Baroness (Fiona) Shackleton, the lawyer known as the Steel Magnolia who represented Prince Charles and Sir Paul McCartney in their divorces. She is believed to have signed a prenuptial agreement before marrying Italian-born Bertarelli in 2000.

One of her friends told the Mail: ‘The settlement was more generous than it had to be. They didn’t want a long, drawn-out court case in Switzerland and he wanted to recognise the length of their marriage.’

In July last year, Miss Bertarelli posted a heartfelt message on Instagram to mark her 20th wedding anniversary.

‘Twenty years together today!! Taking a little spin with you to mark the occasion of one hell of an amazing journey!’ she wrote. ‘With you always by my side and me always by yours. I love you so very much!’

Kirsty said in a rare interview several years before, marriage to Ernesto proved the gateway to an ‘amazing’ life, pictured on social media showing the pair jetting off to exotic locations, exclusive beach clubs, and ski resorts.

It came as a shock to many when the couple quietly divorced after 21 years of marriage, with Miss Bertarelli now living alone in a stunning £350 million mansion on the shores of Lake Geneva.

A source told the Daily Mail at the time: ‘Only a very few were aware of what was going on.

‘They have both been very discreet. They still have a lot of respect for each other.’