James Henderson and Heather Kerzner
Heather Kerzner, the ex-wife of South African billionaire Sol Kerzner, put her money where her mouth is when she agreed to marry Bell Pottinger chief James Henderson on Valentine’s Day.
Shortly after Henderson proposed over dinner at Scott’s restaurant in Mayfair, Kerzner invested a large sum in his PR firm, presumably hoping that the well-connected pair could forge a working, as well as a romantic, partnership.
But now that Bell Pottinger is on the brink of collapse due to a scandal that forced Henderson to resign as CEO last weekend, the future of both unions seems uncertain.
A friend of Henderson’s tells me that his November wedding to Heather is off.
‘The wedding has been postponed,’ the friend says.
‘No new date has been set yet.’
Heather seems to have been bowled over by Henderson after the pair (right) were introduced by the Duchess of York in 2015 following Heather’s divorce from Kerzner, an octogenarian hotelier described as South Africa’s answer to Donald Trump.
This spring, the wealthy divorcee took a 15 per cent stake in Bell Pottinger and became its major shareholder. Following her investment, she and Henderson owned almost 40 per cent of the company.
However, Bell Pottinger’s South African connections soon turned toxic.
This week, the PR firm was expelled from the industry trade body after being accused of orchestrating a campaign that incited racial hatred to promote the interests of the Guptas, one of South Africa’s most powerful business dynasties.
The scandal has damaged Henderson’s reputation, and it is unclear whether Heather will get her money back from Bell Pottinger, which is reported to have debts of almost £6million.
Heather, 48, and Henderson, 52, have six children between them. Before the scandal broke, they had drawn up plans for a two-part society wedding in London: a Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday, then a party organised by Tom Freud, nephew of PR guru Matthew Freud, on Saturday.
This week, Heather said the impact of the crisis on her and Henderson has been ‘devastating’.
‘It has been horrendous,’ she said.
Nothing enrages proud feminist Miriam Gonzalez Durantez more than being called the ‘missus’ of former deputy PM Nick Clegg.
So the Spanish lawyer has launched a furious attack on a magazine that used a photo of her cradling her newborn son to illustrate a story about her professional involvement in a Brexit seminar.
Miriam, who goes by her maiden name professionally, was appalled that the industry publication The Drinks Business used a picture of her and Nick standing outside hospital following the birth of their youngest son Miguel, who is now eight.
Nothing enrages proud feminist Miriam Gonzalez Durantez more than being called the ‘missus’ of former deputy PM Nick Clegg
According to the glamorous mother-of-three, who has said women are ‘not defined by who we marry’, the image is sexist.
Miriam posted the photo on social media and wrote: ‘I am asked to participate in a seminar on the impact of Brexit on duties and regulations in the drinks industry, and The Drinks Business magazine announces it with a picture of me and Nick coming out from hospital from delivering my then-baby.
‘Perhaps I should teach them a lesson on non-sexism and use the seminar to talk about the effects of Brexit on breastfeeding!’
Italian president Sergio Mattarella got more than he bargained for when he invited the Duchess of York to a cocktail party in Rome.
Fun-loving Fergie had an unfortunate wardrobe malfunction as she left the Celebrity Fight Night charity bash at the Quirinal Palace. The hem of her dress got caught on her sleeve and her little black dress became an extremely little black dress.
When in Rome, make an exhibition of oneself . . .
Italian president Sergio Mattarella got more than he bargained for when he invited the Duchess of York to a cocktail party in Rome
Pupils at £13,000-a-term Eton are born with silver spoons in their mouths, and need a lackey to polish them. Prince William’s old school requires a deputy butler for College Hall. Duties will include ‘maintaining the vast and valuable collection of college silver’, and stock-keeping in the college wine cellar. No word on what would-be Carsons can expect to earn. Eton’s job ad says: ‘Salary to be discussed.’
Princes William and Harry’s best friend, entrepreneur Guy Pelly, left creditors £560,000 out of pocket when his Chelsea nightclub, Public, collapsed amid reports of punters urinating in the surrounding streets.
Pelly, who has been a company director 15 times aged just 35, has since announced his nightclub days are ‘over’, after marrying American heiress Lizzy Wilson and becoming father to daughter Willow.
But his latest venture isn’t raking in millions just yet. Blackfire Limited, which Pelly founded in 2015 to distill spirits, has posted a loss of more than £100,000 in its first set of accounts.
Bottoms up.
Rupert Murdoch’s stylish ex-wife Wendi Deng, 48, found herself standing next to a mannequin sporting an identical Gucci dress at the Bergdorf Goodman store in New York this week.
‘Last night at launch of Gucci Decor, but who wore it better?’ she asked on social media.
Rupert Murdoch’s stylish ex-wife Wendi Deng, 48, found herself standing next to a mannequin sporting an identical Gucci dress at the Bergdorf Goodman store in New York this week
If she was fishing for compliments, she succeeded. ‘Still looking good girlfriend,’ said one fan, ‘even a potato sack dress will look good on you.’
I’m sure that Tony Blair would agree.