Billionaire founder of Phones4U, John Caudwell, 70, welcomes his SEVENTH child with wife Modesta, 39

Billionaire businessman John Caudwell has announced the arrival of his seventh child – a baby girl called Isabella Sky.

The British 70-year-old revealed on Instagram: ‘Isabella Sky was born last night at 10.40pm. It is one of the most beautiful experiences anyone can have.’

He added about his 39-year-old wife Modesta Vzesniauskaite: ‘[She] was so full of happiness that she couldn’t stop laughing and crying. I must admit I felt pretty much the same way.’ 

Elsewhere, his wife shared a selection of three images with her newborn on her Instagram account, writing: ‘Our hearts are full of love. Welcome to the world Isabella Sky.’

She added that she was looking forward to introducing the baby to her brothers and sisters ‘and all our family, friends’.

John already has six children; Rebekah, 42, Libby, 34, Rufus, 25, Scarlett, 20, and Jacobi, 18, and William John who was born in 2021.

Meanwhile, former Olympic cyclist Modesta has one son, Leonardo, 11, from her first marriage.

Earlier this month, John revealed how he and his wife Modesta were expecting their baby girl to arrive ‘very soon’. She is their second child together.

He announced the news in a tweet, in which he shared a scan image of the baby.

The tweet said: ‘Our baby girl is due this month. Based on the latest scan, she’s ready to come out soon! [Modesta] and I have a first name but aren’t sure about a middle one. Feel free to suggest girls’ names that sound good with Caudwell. 

‘Libby, Rebekah and Scarlett are already taken!’

According to reports at the time, Modesta was en route from Stafford to Monaco, where she had planned to give birth. One of the billionaire’s several homes is in the country.

John Caudwell, who was born in working-class Stoke, is the son of an engineering products salesman and a mother who worked in a post room to make ends meet.

The British 70-year-old revealed on Instagram (with the above image): ‘Isabella Sky was born last night at 10.40pm. It is one of the most beautiful experiences anyone can have.’

He added about his 39-year-old wife Modesta Vzesniauskaite (pictured): ‘[She] was so full of happiness that she couldn’t stop laughing and crying. I must admit I felt pretty much the same way.’

Elsewhere, his wife shared a selection of three images with her newborn on her Instagram account, writing: ‘Our hearts are full of love. Welcome to the world Isabella Sky.’

John already has six children; Rebekah, 42, Libby, 34, Rufus, 25, Scarlett, 20, and Jacobi, 18, and William John who was born in 2021. Pictured, his Instagram post today

Modesta added that she was looking forward to introducing the baby to her brothers and sisters ‘and all our family, friends’ in her post (pictured)

His career included working 20-hour days trying to run first a corner shop, then a mail order motorcycling business and a car showroom.

Even when, in the late 1980s aged 35, he landed on the mobile phone business that would go on to become Phones 4u, the path was fraught with years of pitfalls. 

It took Caudwell eight months to sell his first consignment of handsets and for the first two years the business ran at a loss every month.

‘It always felt like a house of cards — it was a constant battle,’ he has said of his career. 

He remembers one terrifying moment when he was shipped stock by his supplier, Motorola, only for them to promptly drop the price the next day. 

‘They dumped this equipment on me and suddenly my stock was devalued by £10 million.  Ten million! That’s three years’ worth of profits and I had to find a way of fighting through that.’

‘Every day there was a crisis. Not life-threatening crises, but crises nonetheless.’

Earlier this month, John revealed how he and his wife Modesta (pictured together) were expecting their baby girl to arrive ‘very soon’. She is their second child together 

John Caudwell (pictured at the annual charity Butterfly Ball at The Londoner Hotel in 2022), is already father to six children

The major success of his professional life came in 2006, when he sold his Phones 4u firm for a staggering £1.46 billion.

His older children are now scattered around the globe, although John is keen to emphasise that they have made their own way. 

‘They’ve had the luxury, but I kept them quite short of money in their teenage years, still do, because I want them to have the pride of fighting for themselves, learning the value of money, the value of life,’ he has previously said.

‘I’m very proud of them in that respect. I brought them up to understand that if all you’re doing is chasing luxury and the next best thing, it will just lead to a very unsatisfactory life.’