Celebrity Big Brother star Lauren Simon is ‘facing bankruptcy’ after her divorce was finalised (Picture:
Shutterstock for Big Brother)
Celebrity Big Brother star Lauren Simon’s family has been ‘destroyed’ following a six-year divorce case.
Lauren, 52, is best known for being one of the stars of The Real Housewives of Cheshire and also appeared on Celebrity Big Brother earlier this year.
Prior to appearing on television, she worked in public relations, as well as marketing for nightclubs and VIP events.
However, over the past six years she’s been in the middle of a drawn-out divorce battle with ex-husband Paul Simon, a property developer.
The pair married in 2003 and share two daughters, Gigi and Kika.
After their 2018 split Paul, 54, initially gave Lauren a £3million lump sum but later won an appeal against the order.
It comes after she was initially awarded £3 million (Picture: Ken McKay/ ITV/ Rex/ Shutterstock)
He claimed at the time that the pair only had £2million between them in assets and he had no cash of his own.
The pair then agreed to settle the case in 2021, with Lauren given the right to live in a £1.8m mansion in Altrincham for life but would no longer receive a cash payout.
Soon after Lauren said she burned her wedding dress to celebrate the divorce, but the case has dragged on.
However, this week the divorce proceedings finally came to an end at the High Court with Justice Robert Peel sharing Lauren had confirmed she now wants to drop her claim and for the legal fight to end, as reported by The Sun.
Her ex-husband is property millionaire Paul Simon (Picture: Champion News)
This comes despite her ex-husband’s lawyers confirming she would receive no cash from the marriage.
‘She was crystal clear in not wanting any further litigation, which she said had destroyed her and her family,’ the judge said, as reported by the same publication, which also said Lauren was now facing bankruptcy.
Lauren is being chased for a £1.2 million bill by the company which lent her the money to pay her lawyers.
The firm – Integro Funding Limited, trading as ‘Level’ – claimed the couple had entered a ‘collusive agreement’ to avoid the firm being paid back the money she owed them.
The debt is unenforceable because Lauren has been left with no cash or assets, and the company has no claim on Paul’s wealth.
Lauren joined The Real Housewives of Cheshire in 2015 (Picture: ITV)
The judge said there was ‘little’ that Level can do about Lauren withdrawing her application for ‘financial remedies’, other than making her bankrupt.
‘And they would be unable to recoup any of the debt she owes to them,’ he added.
When they were married, Lauren and Paul lived in a lavish £1.8million home in Bowden, Cheshire.
She spent four years on Real Housewives before leaving in 2019 but returned a year later.
She went on to sign up for Celebrity Big Brother earlier this year (Picture: James Veysey/ Rex/ Shutterstock)
The court was told she earned £40,000 a year.
The reality TV star previously told The Sun: ‘My life hit a crossroads and it was sink or swim but there was no way I was going under – I’m a fighter.
‘I think it’s really important for my kids to see that if you’ve got your own business, you can make your own decisions in life.
‘You don’t have to be tied to a man.’
Metro.co.uk has contacted representatives for Lauren Simon for comment.
Celebrity Big Brother is streaming on ITVX.
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