Michelle Mone will wed her billionaire fiance ‘at the end of the year’ as her ‘super excited’ kids help plan the lavish day
The entrepreneur, 47, spoke to Fabulous Digital about her excitement for the upcoming nuptials and how her children "adore" her 53-year-old fiance.
On Christmas Eve, her partner-of-two years popped the question in their seven-storey Georgian townhouse.
She said: “It’s a nice chapter at the moment and phase. So I think soon enough we’ll have a date and a place but it’s very exciting.”
Michelle revealed that she thinks the wedding with “be within a year” and she’s aiming for a ceremony “towards the end of this year and the start of next year”.
Michelle has three kids from her previous marriage to Michael Mone, who she divorced in 2011, Rebecca, Declan and Bethany, and Doug has four children from two earlier marriages.
And Michelle, who founded lingerie company Ultimo in 1996 at the age of just 25, said all of the kids are “super excited”.
She said: “They were around the house within 30 mins of finding out. They love Doug to bits so it’s just moving and they get on so well with him.
“We were just talking about it just now, whether we want a big occasion or a small occasion, and where it’s going to be and when it’s going to be.”
Glaswegian-born Michelle sold all of her multi-million pound business Ultimo in 2014, describing her 17 years at the helm as a "roller coaster ride".
She’s gone on to found her own interior design company, Michelle Mone Interiors, aimed at hotels and net worth individuals – and she's excited for what this year holds.
Doug is the founder and chairman of the Knox Group of Companies, which is worth a staggering £3billion, and he owns six homes, two superyachts, 15 cars and a private jet.
Michelle gushed over her fiancée calling him “her rock”.
So strong is their connection that the baroness felt compelled to throw away a Greek stone she carried for good luck now he is in her life.
She said: “I threw it away with my guy last year in Dubai into a river.
“He said you don’t need the stone to look after you anymore, I’m here to look after you.
“So we threw it away together. No, it’s actually been good as he looks after me and that’s it.
“I had a rock which I threw into the river and now he’s the rock.”
Doug has been the inspiration behind her latest business venture, an app called Connect 2 Michelle Mone.
The free service includes videos, articles and advice on everything from business to lifestyle topics.
Michelle said: “It was my guy’s idea, Doug. He watched me doing all these speaking events around the world.
“And all these people running up to the stage after I’d finished asking for advice, asking for tips.
“So he said why don’t you launch an app that can be for everyone, whether they are working in a job and want to find their way to the top of the ladder or whether they want to start a business or they are in a business and need advice.”
THE LAVISH LIFE OF MICHELLE MONE AND DOUG BARROWMAN
The uber rich pair – who have been dating for two years – now spend their time jetting across the globe on their private planes and hanging out with a whole host of A-list pals, including Conor McGregor and Richard Branson.
From skiing Christmas trips with the family in the swanky resort of Courchevel in the French Alps, to having coffee with celeb pal Michael Buble in Harrods, here The Sun Online takes a look at their very luxurious lifestyle.
Nothing says millionaire like a superyacht – and Michelle and Doug, who is thought to own 50 businesses, have two.
Last summer, Michelle enjoyed an exclusive and family-only luxury boat trip around the south of Italy to destinations including Capri, Palermo and Sardinia.
Michelle went on a total of 12 holidays in 2018 – two of which were to St Barths in the Caribbean.
She's even been known to charter a 10-seater private jet to whisk the entire family away for a skiing holiday in Courchevel – with the flight alone costing around £12,000.
The loved-up couple also use a helicopter for travelling in style on date nights, costing £6,000 a charter.
Michelle lives in Doug's mansion on the Isle of Man, which features a gym, spa, indoor pools, and a glass-cased walk in wardrobe – and is valued at £120 million.
Michelle has slammed critics calling for her resignation from the House of Lords due to her “lack of attendance”.
Until now she has remained tight-lipped on being “picked on”, but insists her voting records are “very, very good” and she isn’t going anywhere.
Scottish SNP critics have complained that she attended just 89 out 457 sitting days in the House, since being made a life peer by David Cameron in 2015.
The Baroness of Mayfair said: “The figures are not correct. My voting records are very, very good.
“If you compare myself to other Lords and Baronesses, it is actually very good. I’ve been there a lot more than what’s has been said.
“I don’t understand why I’m always the one that gets picked on. I don’t know why. If you are going to look at me, it’s fair to look at others too instead of honing in on me.”
Michelle has received flak from using her parliamentary email to promote her business ventures at trade events.
She’s also found herself hitting headlines after Lord Speaker Norman Fowler’s recent calls for the House to get rid of peers who “contribute little to political life”, but still pocket a £305-a-day tax-free allowance for turning up in the chamber.
And despite being accused of milking her title without putting the hours in, Michelle insists she isn’t going anywhere, and has no plans to resign.
The Baroness said: “I’m there for life. I’ve been there for just three years, and I’ll be doing a lot more this year.”
She revealed that those who call her “Layabout Lady of Mayfair” simply don’t know the real her.
Michelle revealed that a typical day in her life can involve getting up at 5.30am, working all day and then going to the House.
Often she’ll do this all week – bar Friday – and if there is a vote, she often won’t get home until 2am.
Attendance isn't logged in the House, but on the Public Whip website, which shows the voting records from the Commons and the Lords, Michelle is documented as having attended 31 votes in 2018.
This figure is one more than Lord Sugar’s aide on The Apprentice, Baroness Brady, and Lord Sugar himself attended none.
Michelle has revealed she gives her £305 allowance to charity, and is “out of pocket” for attending the Lords, according to the Daily Mail.
She even has two PAs; one for her personal business and one to deal with her Lords emails.
Michelle is one of the highest paid business speakers in the UK, charging up to £25,000 per speech, but she admits she still finds it nerve-wracking speaking in the House.
She continued: “I do a lot of high profile speaking events around the world. I’ve spoken with Bill Clinton and with some powerful leaders around the world.
“And I tell you standing up in the House of Lords is a serious thing. I’ll be doing a lot more of it this year. It’s quite scary but I’m getting used to it now.”
Aside from overcoming any fears in the House, she also has to battle against any derogatory nicknames she is given, such as Baroness Bra.
Luckily, she has strong self-belief and a strategy for tackling any remarks.
She said: “If I get so uptight and worried about what people call me then I’d never get on and do what I need to do in a day.
“Call me whatever you want to call me.
“My family and friends know me and what I’m like. You’ll have trolls and everything else but you have to try and forget them and not be focused on them.”
Michelle said her own self-belief comes from her mum and dad encouraging her to have a good worth ethic.
She said she wishes to encourage those starting on the business world, and added: “Be true to yourself.
“Stick up for yourself and have confidence and have the belief and don’t let them get you down.
“I’ve been criticised on my attendance records which aren’t true. So what do I do, cry about it? Or get on with my life and know what I do.
“My family know what I do, my friends know what I do and that’s all that matters.
“Everyone will have an opinion but that doesn’t mean to say that they are right.”
Michelle Mone's business app, Connect 2 Michelle Mone, is available to download for free from the App Store.
Inside Michelle and Doug’s very luxurious lifestyle – from two super yachts and SEVEN homes to 18 cars and a private jet.
Michelle reveals her Christmas Day engagement to billionaire Doug after two years of dating.
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