0:00:02 > 0:00:04This programme contains some strong language.
0:00:04 > 0:00:07London - known as the divorce capital of the world.
0:00:07 > 0:00:12It's the battleground for the mega-rich when dividing up their millions.
0:00:12 > 0:00:18There is nowhere that a wife is going to do better than in London.
0:00:20 > 0:00:24The Mecca for women wanting to get divorced.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26Oh, thank you.
0:00:26 > 0:00:30It seems the bigger the money, the bigger the war.
0:00:30 > 0:00:32There was so much acrimony.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36All the anger and...raised all the hatred...
0:00:36 > 0:00:38..all at the same time.
0:00:38 > 0:00:42So, you know, this side of the power was fighting that side of the power.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44We were like... punching at each other.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47- As usual, you think you're so- BLEEP- clever.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49You haven't even let me finish.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51Pay the 30 million
0:00:51 > 0:00:56from one of your offshore accounts and then we can move on.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00The rows have been fuelled by a change in the law.
0:01:00 > 0:01:04Now the starting point in court is a 50/50 split,
0:01:04 > 0:01:08and wives are entitled to millions more than ever before.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12I've yet to meet a man who isn't astonished that he has
0:01:12 > 0:01:15to part with half of his wealth, and it's brutal.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21You say to your client, "Look, there are various things you can do,
0:01:21 > 0:01:24"but I don't recommend it - they're not necessarily legal.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27"If you get found out, you're in trouble."
0:01:28 > 0:01:33It incentivises men to hide, but it also incentivises women to find.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36Women have become amateur sleuths.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38It's very hard to resist checking phones,
0:01:38 > 0:01:42very hard to resist checking on the computer.
0:01:43 > 0:01:48I wanted to find out, are these women just out for every million they can get,
0:01:48 > 0:01:52or are they simply fighting for what's rightfully theirs?
0:01:52 > 0:01:56The future ex-wives of the super-wealthy are portrayed
0:01:56 > 0:01:57as gold-diggers.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59We love to do that in Britain.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03Rather than thinking, "Well, she was married to him for an awfully long time.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06"Those maybe were the best years of her life.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10"Why should she go quietly with crumbs?"
0:02:10 > 0:02:12A palace is very hard to give up.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14Who said I've given up?
0:02:16 > 0:02:18This isn't over yet.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36# Hey, little girl
0:02:36 > 0:02:39# Comb your hair, fix your make-up
0:02:39 > 0:02:44- # Soon he will open your door... # - Hello.
0:02:46 > 0:02:50- Shall we go up?- Yes, please.- She's in the sitting room, is she?
0:02:54 > 0:02:59I've been invited to the Mayfair home of a multi-millionairess.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04She was already incredibly wealthy when she got married
0:03:04 > 0:03:09but still fought her husband for millions more when they divorced.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12- Hello.- Hello. - Oh, you're filming coming in.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16- Hi, honey.- Morning, morning.- How are you?- I'm all right. How are you?
0:03:16 > 0:03:19I'm good. I'm having a Bulletproof Coffee.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21- A Bulletproof Coffee? - Yeah, with Brain Octane.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23- Do you want some? Do you want to try it?- Yeah.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26- It's a special oil that goes in it. - OK, OK.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30- What's that going to do to us? - Make you very clever for the day.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34- Would you like one as well?- Please. - Yeah.
0:03:34 > 0:03:38Tikki, can I have two Bulletproof Coffees, please?
0:03:38 > 0:03:42Lisa Tchenguiz is 51 and she's been divorced twice.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51Gary Davis was the Radio 1 heart-throb of the '80s.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53They were married for six years.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57A very, very nice man.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59We're still friends, which is great.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03With Gary, it was an amicable split,
0:04:03 > 0:04:07but with her second husband it's been a different story.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11# Let there be you... #
0:04:11 > 0:04:13My husband was Vivian Imerman.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17He was dubbed "the Man From Del Monte".
0:04:17 > 0:04:18He had a juice business.
0:04:18 > 0:04:23- He made his fortune that way?- Yeah. And a second fortune later on.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27I guess, at that time in my life,
0:04:27 > 0:04:30where there was that sense of insecurity,
0:04:30 > 0:04:35I just felt there was a cushion and like a warm blanket.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37He was a protector, a big guy.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40Strong in the beginning. He was powerful.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43- That's very attractive. - It's... I mean, yeah.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48I married him because I liked him, I loved him.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51# Let there be love... #
0:04:51 > 0:04:53Lisa and Vivian were married for nine years
0:04:53 > 0:04:56and they have a 15-year-old daughter together.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01When you have a strong woman behind you,
0:05:01 > 0:05:04of course I believe that that does take you forward.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07He was successful, clearly, in his own right,
0:05:07 > 0:05:10but he would never have done what he did had I not been in the picture.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13He might have done something else with another woman.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15You were here supporting him at heart?
0:05:15 > 0:05:17I was absolutely supporting him at heart...
0:05:17 > 0:05:21..and raised a beautiful child.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25I was the wife that I know all my friends are.
0:05:25 > 0:05:30You raise your kids, you create a home, you...you create...
0:05:30 > 0:05:34..you keep the family united, you do your Friday night dinners.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39You marry for love. I've always said that.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43But marry a man that can give you the life you want as well.
0:05:44 > 0:05:50It's a bit naive to say marry the local plumber
0:05:50 > 0:05:52cos he'll make you happy
0:05:52 > 0:05:55but then, if you're used to a lifestyle, what are you going to do?
0:05:55 > 0:05:58- So...- That was never going to work for you?- No, no.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04I never even considered that. I came from a wealthy background.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06My family always looked after me.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11Firmino, how far are you?
0:06:11 > 0:06:14In ten minutes? We'll go in the car in ten minutes.
0:06:14 > 0:06:15OK, bye.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19- You have a driver?- Yes.
0:06:19 > 0:06:24Yeah. And is he a full-time driver or..?
0:06:24 > 0:06:27- Yeah.- Yeah. And what other staff do you have?
0:06:29 > 0:06:32I have my housekeeper.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34I have two housekeepers.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36I redid the whole house,
0:06:36 > 0:06:39but I think we're going to redo everything again now.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41It's been a good 15 years.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45I think we're going to knock everything...start again.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48- That's very sweet.- It's for George.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50- George?- George, the dog.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55- DOG BARKS - Who's that, who's that?
0:06:55 > 0:06:57He's the most spoiled dog ever.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59He's so sweet. He's very cute.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02I bought him in St Tropez.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06Can you sit? Sit.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08Sit. Good boy.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10- Hey...- If you have wealth
0:07:10 > 0:07:14and you have money, what is there to be unhappy about?
0:07:14 > 0:07:17Life is more comfortable, I'm sure.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22I'd rather have money and be sad than no money and be sad.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27- Hey, relax. - DOG BARKS
0:07:27 > 0:07:32But the world of power and wealth comes with a lot of issues with it.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35- Have you got everything, Lynn? - Yeah.- Yeah. Come...
0:07:35 > 0:07:39I have so many girlfriends going through divorces now.
0:07:39 > 0:07:40One of my friends,
0:07:40 > 0:07:43her husband went back to an ex-mistress of his
0:07:43 > 0:07:45from 15 years ago.
0:07:45 > 0:07:49He's not talking to his wife any more and they were married 27 years.
0:07:49 > 0:07:54This is the life, this is what's happening in our world today.
0:07:54 > 0:07:59- Tikki?- Yeah?- Honey, can you put this in a bag for me?
0:07:59 > 0:08:01Put that in a bag for me.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04- Put it in the shopping bag? - Yeah, yeah.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08Money can give you comfort, it can give you warmth.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12Does it magically take away the pain? Absolutely not.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18The only thing that it could do for me was allow me
0:08:18 > 0:08:21a fair chance at divorce.
0:08:21 > 0:08:22Let's try.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29Lisa was able to fight because she had her own money
0:08:29 > 0:08:32and could pay the legal fees herself.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36When there are millions or even billions of pounds at stake,
0:08:36 > 0:08:40the rich turn to an elite set of London divorce lawyers.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44These solicitors can charge up to £900 an hour.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51Jeremy Levison has spent 30 years in the business.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54He represents millionaires and billionaires,
0:08:54 > 0:08:56both husbands and wives.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58His success means he's been able
0:08:58 > 0:09:01to indulge his passion for art.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03OK, so this, as an art lover,
0:09:03 > 0:09:06is work that I commissioned from the lady who's now my fiancee -
0:09:06 > 0:09:08Katherine Jackson.
0:09:08 > 0:09:10As you go round the board,
0:09:10 > 0:09:12you'll see that the man is stuck
0:09:12 > 0:09:14on Mayfair,
0:09:14 > 0:09:15which has now become My Affair,
0:09:15 > 0:09:18in his Aston Martin.
0:09:18 > 0:09:19The girl is on Go To Court
0:09:19 > 0:09:23with her iron with the spikes in the bottom.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28Significantly, the men seem to have all the money.
0:09:28 > 0:09:29HE SIGHS
0:09:29 > 0:09:35Yes. Still today that is generally the case.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37And what about our poor woman down here?
0:09:37 > 0:09:41At the moment, she's not got a great deal of money
0:09:41 > 0:09:43and this is not untypical.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46And she's aiming for her slice of everything that's up here.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49The law changed radically in 2000.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53Now, of course, she's likely to end up with up to half of it.
0:09:54 > 0:09:58The starting point is 50% of what we call the marital acquest.
0:09:58 > 0:10:03In other words, you add up what you started the marriage with,
0:10:03 > 0:10:08you add up what you finish with and you divide the spoils by two.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10If there's a billion has been acquired
0:10:10 > 0:10:13in the course of the marriage she had a good claim for half a billion.
0:10:15 > 0:10:17I've yet to sit down
0:10:17 > 0:10:21with a male client who isn't astonished that he has to part with
0:10:21 > 0:10:23half of his wealth, and it's brutal.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25Such a bitter pill to swallow.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28It goes down like a bowl of cat sick, to be honest.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30You've got to have quite a thick skin
0:10:30 > 0:10:33because sometimes you'll be sworn at, you'll be shouted at,
0:10:33 > 0:10:36you'll be told it's outrageous,
0:10:36 > 0:10:38it's bloody unfair or worse.
0:10:38 > 0:10:42And you have to let the clients have their mad half-hour
0:10:42 > 0:10:44to get it off their chest because it's a difficult message to absorb.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49Ultimately, it's about a view generally in society that
0:10:49 > 0:10:51marriage should be an equal partnership.
0:10:51 > 0:10:53But if you've been in a long marriage,
0:10:53 > 0:10:55you've each contributed your bit,
0:10:55 > 0:10:57then it has been a partnership of equals
0:10:57 > 0:11:00and, actually, what's the problem about a 50/50 split?
0:11:05 > 0:11:08Michelle Young had a husband who obstructed her
0:11:08 > 0:11:10and the court at every turn.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16Scot Young made his first millions in the '80s property boom,
0:11:16 > 0:11:19but his real fortune came from brokering deals
0:11:19 > 0:11:21with Russian oligarchs.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26Young v Young is the longest-running divorce case
0:11:26 > 0:11:28in British legal history.
0:11:28 > 0:11:3265 court hearings, 13 sets of lawyers...
0:11:32 > 0:11:35..and it's still going on now.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39I'd given up my career -
0:11:39 > 0:11:43I don't regret it because I've got my two beautiful daughters -
0:11:43 > 0:11:47and devoted 18 years of my life to him.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54Scot and Michelle were in their early 20s when they met,
0:11:54 > 0:11:57and first of all lived with Michelle's parents.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59He was pretty determined.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02He wanted to get married
0:12:02 > 0:12:06and have babies and the whole thing.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10He was very persuasive.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17That's when we actually got married at Chelsea Registry Office.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21I mean, how did you feel about him?
0:12:21 > 0:12:23Well, I married him, I loved him.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27That's usually what happens, isn't it?
0:12:29 > 0:12:33He had lots of charisma, very charming.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38He was extremely generous to me.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41And for my 40th birthday he filled the Range Rover up
0:12:41 > 0:12:45with beautiful designer clothes
0:12:45 > 0:12:47and lovely jewellery.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51We actually had a very privileged lifestyle.
0:12:51 > 0:12:55And... But it did come from hard work.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57It's not people, you know...
0:12:57 > 0:12:59I think they think, "Oh, God," you know,
0:12:59 > 0:13:01when people have got all this money, you know.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03"They're very privileged."
0:13:03 > 0:13:08And, you know, both of us had come from families where, you know,
0:13:08 > 0:13:13we had to work hard to succeed.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21The Youngs had certainly come a long way -
0:13:21 > 0:13:23Scot was from a working-class family
0:13:23 > 0:13:26and he grew up in a Dundee tenement block.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43This was my former home for five years.
0:13:48 > 0:13:53This is very hard because this is the first time I've been back
0:13:53 > 0:13:56to this house since we sold it in 2001.
0:13:57 > 0:13:58So...
0:14:00 > 0:14:04- Hi.- What did you have here in the way of staff?
0:14:04 > 0:14:07We had a cook and...
0:14:08 > 0:14:11..a butler. There was a handyman.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14And then we had a couple of other housekeepers,
0:14:14 > 0:14:16two gardeners.
0:14:18 > 0:14:22This is the main driveway here, which... It starts at the top there.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26We used to have many cars sitting on the driveway -
0:14:26 > 0:14:29Ferraris, Bentleys, Phantoms, Porsches.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33Mr Young had a different car for each day of the week.
0:14:35 > 0:14:36- Mr Young?- Yeah.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43You don't call him Scot any more?
0:14:43 > 0:14:46It's very hard to refer to someone by their first name,
0:14:46 > 0:14:51someone that you gave so much to, and then they betray you.
0:14:51 > 0:14:52It's very difficult.
0:14:54 > 0:15:00What I find hard looking at this today is that...
0:15:02 > 0:15:04..you know, not only my ex-husband,
0:15:04 > 0:15:06but he was the father of my two girls.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09Why he did this I don't understand.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19It's complete betrayal.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24What do you miss about being here?
0:15:24 > 0:15:26Everything.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30I used to wake up every day and feel very privileged, you know,
0:15:30 > 0:15:35to wake up here because it was a wonderful house.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38Happy memories of my daughters
0:15:38 > 0:15:40running around, playing with the animals.
0:15:40 > 0:15:45And we used to go and pick strawberries in the garden.
0:15:45 > 0:15:47You know, it's very hard.
0:15:47 > 0:15:48SHE SOBS
0:15:50 > 0:15:53It's memories that I kind of parked.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00It's very hard to give up.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02Who said I've given up?
0:16:04 > 0:16:07This isn't over yet.
0:16:19 > 0:16:23Fenchurch Street Station has become Feel Hurt Station.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26Trafalgar Square - Tragedy Square.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30In the very big money cases,
0:16:30 > 0:16:33the ladies have been used to spending vast sums of money.
0:16:33 > 0:16:39I mean, budgets of £150,000 a year for handbags is not unknown
0:16:39 > 0:16:40or even that uncommon.
0:16:40 > 0:16:45If you're renting a big boat, it can cost you £500,000 a week,
0:16:45 > 0:16:48and two weeks' holiday is £1 million.
0:16:48 > 0:16:50They want to maintain their lifestyle
0:16:50 > 0:16:53and the legal system supports them. And, indeed, the law says
0:16:53 > 0:16:55that, insofar as is achievable,
0:16:55 > 0:16:59that is...the lifestyle should be respected.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07Everybody always, I think, aspires to having more.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10I doubt that most people want to have 100 times more,
0:17:10 > 0:17:15but very often you think that you'd be happier with that bit more,
0:17:15 > 0:17:19and if that happens to be a bit more between 50 and 55 million,
0:17:19 > 0:17:22then you might just want your divorce lawyer to go for
0:17:22 > 0:17:26the extra five million. Is it going to make you happier? I don't know.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36I've been here for - God knows - 15 years.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40So this was your matrimonial home?
0:17:40 > 0:17:42This was my home? No.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46My father gifted me this house, and my husband lived here with me.
0:17:47 > 0:17:51- So it's always been yours? - It's always been mine, thank God.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54You know, at least my lifestyle didn't change.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58- Your lifestyle hasn't changed since divorce?- No. No, no.
0:17:58 > 0:17:59I mean, at all?
0:17:59 > 0:18:05Um, well, I used to have my own boat and now I don't, which is fine.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07It's not the end of the world.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10It's a very spoilt thing to say, but..
0:18:10 > 0:18:11What sort of boat was it?
0:18:11 > 0:18:13- I mean, a yacht? - A yacht, yeah, yeah.
0:18:17 > 0:18:21For Lisa, the real issue was that after nine years of marriage
0:18:21 > 0:18:26and having a child together she wanted a 50/50 split.
0:18:27 > 0:18:32After all, her husband had made £250 million during the marriage.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36So she asked for 120 million,
0:18:36 > 0:18:39though his first offer was for two million.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41Lisa decided to fight.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46The story about the Man from Del Monte, that everybody knows,
0:18:46 > 0:18:49- is that the Man from Del Monte says yes.- Yes.
0:18:50 > 0:18:54Yeah. It was pre my era. It wasn't part of my era.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57But Vivian didn't say yes to what you wanted, though.
0:18:57 > 0:18:58No, clearly not.
0:18:58 > 0:18:59No.
0:18:59 > 0:19:04I had communicated what I wanted through some common friends,
0:19:04 > 0:19:09and that would have sealed it years and years before.
0:19:27 > 0:19:31For Michelle, the divorce has meant radically downsizing.
0:19:31 > 0:19:33DOG BARKS
0:19:33 > 0:19:36She's gone from her mansion to a basement flat.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38Good morning.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41Guys, do you mind taking your shoes off before we start?
0:19:43 > 0:19:48Um... Sorry, we've just recently moved in,
0:19:48 > 0:19:51so it's quite chaotic still.
0:19:51 > 0:19:52DOG BARKS
0:19:54 > 0:19:57My daughter's kindly offered to put a little bit of make-up on
0:19:57 > 0:19:59- because I almost work 24/7... - DOORBELL
0:19:59 > 0:20:03..so... She does not want to be filmed, so can we cut here?
0:20:04 > 0:20:07The flat is shared with one of her grown-up daughters.
0:20:07 > 0:20:11They live among the remnants of their former life.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13I mean, obviously, your lifestyle, Michelle,
0:20:13 > 0:20:16has changed radically in ten years, hasn't it?
0:20:16 > 0:20:18Well, yes, it has.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20What did you end up with?
0:20:20 > 0:20:21Zero.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24The judgment order
0:20:24 > 0:20:29that I received in November, 2013,
0:20:29 > 0:20:33was an empty paper bag because...
0:20:33 > 0:20:35I didn't... I've never received a penny.
0:20:35 > 0:20:37And how much was it supposed to be?
0:20:37 > 0:20:39For 26.6 million.
0:20:39 > 0:20:45Despite the court order, Michelle's husband simply never paid up.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48And then there were Michelle's legal fees.
0:20:48 > 0:20:52She'd taken out high-interest loans to pay for the years of litigation.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56How much do you think you ended up spending on fees?
0:20:56 > 0:21:00It was over six million in hard cash
0:21:00 > 0:21:02and...
0:21:03 > 0:21:06..ten million was on...
0:21:06 > 0:21:10..the interest charged.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13So you're speaking about 16 million.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16In fact, it was nearly £17 million.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18So you ended up with debts of 17 million?
0:21:18 > 0:21:21Of 17 million. Yes.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26Michelle had been banking on the divorce settlement
0:21:26 > 0:21:30paying off the loans. She's now bankrupt.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34I wanted to know why she was still pursuing the money.
0:21:34 > 0:21:38- The fact is that it's ten years now, isn't it...- Yes.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41- ..since you first filed for divorce? - Correct, yeah.
0:21:41 > 0:21:45You still seem to be on the case, battling.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48Battling? It's a very big bad battle.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50It's a war, in fact.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55Most people would have given up by now trying to find money.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57Absolutely not.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59It's never entered my mind.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01It's not even a discussion.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07Careful. Thank you.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17Let's go to near Claridge's, you know.
0:22:17 > 0:22:18- The store?- Yeah, yeah.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22I grew up in Iran. Er...
0:22:23 > 0:22:25Born in Tehran.
0:22:26 > 0:22:31My father was the Royal Minter to the Shah of Iran
0:22:31 > 0:22:33and...
0:22:33 > 0:22:34A wealthy man?
0:22:34 > 0:22:37Yeah, he made... He was a self-made man, yeah.
0:22:40 > 0:22:44My dad was very Middle Eastern in his belief
0:22:44 > 0:22:46that men did what they wanted
0:22:46 > 0:22:53and women had to sort of be quiet and be unseen at home.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56And he expected me to go get married, have your children,
0:22:56 > 0:22:57don't say much.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00- So that was the standard of expectation?- Yeah.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03Is that really what you set yourself, though, as well?
0:23:03 > 0:23:07No, no. I mean, I didn't know what I wanted, to be honest,
0:23:07 > 0:23:11I really didn't know. And I wish I had had chosen the path of a career.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15You were always supported and protected by your family.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18- Always, always.- Or your husband. - Yeah.
0:23:18 > 0:23:22- You've been in a bit of a bubble. - Yeah.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25I mean, one that I recognised as a bubble.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29- The thing is, it made you dependent on the men.- Um...
0:23:30 > 0:23:32Yeah, yeah. I mean, I tell you,
0:23:32 > 0:23:38I gained my independence for the first time post my divorce.
0:23:39 > 0:23:44Really. I started developing my own interest in investments.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47I've learnt a lot.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50I'm surprised at myself at how quickly I learnt it.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54Lisa now has a number of business ventures
0:23:54 > 0:23:57in the world of feature films, fashion and food.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01- So this is a lunch with friends? - This is a girlfriend of mine, yeah.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05I mean, I haven't seen her for a while, so...
0:24:05 > 0:24:08- Do you normally go out for lunch? - I go for lunch every day.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12Every day. It's either a meeting lunch or a social lunch,
0:24:12 > 0:24:15but every day. I've got to eat, so I might as well go out.
0:24:20 > 0:24:24These women might have spent half their life supporting these men.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27There isn't the financial imperative for them to have to work
0:24:27 > 0:24:29because there's so much money around.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33The husband will, in those circumstances, expect his house
0:24:33 > 0:24:34to be run impeccably,
0:24:34 > 0:24:38to provide, effectively, the scratching post sometimes
0:24:38 > 0:24:41for the husband who will come home in the evening and download
0:24:41 > 0:24:44what a terrible day he's had or how stressful it is,
0:24:44 > 0:24:47and to make sure that the domestic arrangements
0:24:47 > 0:24:50that he hasn't got time to organise are all pukka.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56If you're a woman that got married when you were in your mid-20s
0:24:56 > 0:25:00and you've never got a job and you've never earnt a pay cheque
0:25:00 > 0:25:04and your husband doesn't want to be married to you any more, for whatever reason that might be,
0:25:04 > 0:25:07and he doesn't have to come up with a good reason, he just has to tell you
0:25:07 > 0:25:09that he doesn't want to be married to you any more,
0:25:09 > 0:25:13I mean, I think that's probably enough to induce panic, blind panic.
0:25:16 > 0:25:20Because what will their purpose be? How will they be defined?
0:25:20 > 0:25:22They are not someone's wife any more.
0:25:27 > 0:25:32My fear of failing... Second-time marriage, Middle Eastern woman.
0:25:32 > 0:25:37Should have been married once and lived happily ever after.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40I was pretending things were OK, and they weren't,
0:25:40 > 0:25:43so that pressure was very tough.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46When did you realise that he had fallen in love with someone else?
0:25:46 > 0:25:48When I hired a detective.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55There were three people in the marriage at all times,
0:25:55 > 0:25:57and his ex-wife was...
0:25:57 > 0:25:58She was there.
0:25:59 > 0:26:03Vivian said he hadn't had an affair during their marriage,
0:26:03 > 0:26:06though he did go back to his ex-wife and their three children.
0:26:08 > 0:26:12- I mean, very humiliating, in a way. - Very. Very.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14- Lots of men go off with younger women.- Absolutely.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16I wish it was a younger woman
0:26:16 > 0:26:20because this was a collective family that was together now,
0:26:20 > 0:26:23and it isolated me and my daughter,
0:26:23 > 0:26:28so we were like a smaller, no-force twosome,
0:26:28 > 0:26:31and there they were, sitting all together.
0:26:31 > 0:26:36And I don't think they ever believed or understood
0:26:36 > 0:26:38the pain that they had caused.
0:26:45 > 0:26:46We're all good to go.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52I'll just grab my jacket. Um...
0:26:52 > 0:26:55My lowest point was the day I found out.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59- Good to go?- Yeah.- Let's go.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04It was betrayal, fear.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08Coming home to a home... I had never lived alone.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11Good? Shall we? Come on.
0:27:15 > 0:27:19It dawned on me that I'm actually on my own,
0:27:19 > 0:27:21raising my daughter by myself.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27I'm no longer the eligible girl that I used to be.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33So, ultimately, it was fear of being alone.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41So what are we doing today, then?
0:27:41 > 0:27:44We are going to Tabun Kitchen,
0:27:44 > 0:27:51which belongs to my dearest best friend, Hanan Kattan, and Shamim,
0:27:51 > 0:27:55and they are hosting a birthday lunch for me.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57LAUGHTER
0:27:58 > 0:28:00I feel so loved by it all.
0:28:00 > 0:28:04- Happy birthday. I'm glad I didn't wear those earrings!- I know, I know.
0:28:06 > 0:28:10I have some incredibly loyal, fabulous friends.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15They started a rota amongst themselves.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18They had a chat every day as to who would spend the week here
0:28:18 > 0:28:21or the few days here,
0:28:21 > 0:28:23and so, every few days,
0:28:23 > 0:28:26I had a different girlfriend staying with me.
0:28:26 > 0:28:30# For she's a jolly good fellow
0:28:30 > 0:28:32# For she's a jolly good... #
0:28:32 > 0:28:35This went on for months, which was very endearing,
0:28:35 > 0:28:37very, very endearing.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40- They were obviously worried about you?- Yeah, yeah.
0:28:40 > 0:28:45Because they knew that I...living alone was a tough thing for me.
0:28:45 > 0:28:47If I have one wish,
0:28:47 > 0:28:51I wish for everybody here to have a great life and a happy life.
0:28:51 > 0:28:52That's my wish to you, really.
0:28:52 > 0:28:57- Lisa! Health. Health.- In health and happiness. Absolutely.
0:28:57 > 0:28:59Love you!
0:29:08 > 0:29:13That was taken when we actually were living in Miami.
0:29:13 > 0:29:15It was a difficult time.
0:29:15 > 0:29:18We was having problems with the marriage
0:29:18 > 0:29:21and we just thought we'd have a fresh start somewhere else.
0:29:23 > 0:29:27I think what he was actually doing at that time,
0:29:27 > 0:29:32he was planning to do other things.
0:29:33 > 0:29:36He was having many affairs during the marriage.
0:29:37 > 0:29:40Who were the affairs with? What sort of women?
0:29:40 > 0:29:42Supermodels.
0:29:42 > 0:29:45Young...young women, beautiful young women.
0:29:46 > 0:29:49One day, I had a phone call to say,
0:29:49 > 0:29:53"Your husband has been having an affair,
0:29:53 > 0:29:57"he's lost all the money and he's now in the Priory."
0:29:59 > 0:30:03And, you know, I came off the phone, shocked.
0:30:03 > 0:30:04I had the girls with me.
0:30:04 > 0:30:07I was actually in my bedroom at the time.
0:30:07 > 0:30:11And the first thing that I said, "This isn't true."
0:30:13 > 0:30:18That phone call is the turning point in our lives.
0:30:20 > 0:30:24Michelle and the girls flew back to the UK.
0:30:24 > 0:30:25She petitioned for divorce,
0:30:25 > 0:30:29and so began the first round of a seven-year fight.
0:30:32 > 0:30:33In one corner was Michelle,
0:30:33 > 0:30:36convinced her husband was worth hundreds of millions of pounds.
0:30:39 > 0:30:42In the other was Scot, claiming he'd lost everything
0:30:42 > 0:30:46in a big Russian property deal and that he was bankrupt.
0:30:51 > 0:30:53Years of court proceedings followed
0:30:53 > 0:30:56with a husband who constantly defied the court,
0:30:56 > 0:31:00refusing to disclose anything about his fortune.
0:31:00 > 0:31:06And I was sitting there one day with an ex-Scotland Yard detective...
0:31:06 > 0:31:09- As one does.- As one does.
0:31:09 > 0:31:13And he said, "Is there anything he's given you?"
0:31:13 > 0:31:15And I said... And actually...
0:31:15 > 0:31:19And I said, "Well, actually, yes, the girls have got two laptops."
0:31:20 > 0:31:24He said, "Well, have you thought about having those analysed?"
0:31:24 > 0:31:28Within three days, he found a folder within the laptop,
0:31:28 > 0:31:32and on there was Project Marriage Walk.
0:31:32 > 0:31:35- Project Marriage Walk?- Yeah.
0:31:35 > 0:31:38- That was his plan? - That was his plan, yeah.
0:31:38 > 0:31:42- He'd been planning this for a while? - Absolutely, yeah.
0:31:42 > 0:31:44And what was in the folder?
0:31:44 > 0:31:47Ah, so there, you will see...
0:31:49 > 0:31:50..a list of the properties...
0:31:52 > 0:31:56..and assets of just under 400 million
0:31:56 > 0:31:59with him as a legal and beneficial owner.
0:31:59 > 0:32:01And he was saying he was penniless?
0:32:01 > 0:32:03And he was saying he was penniless, yes.
0:32:09 > 0:32:13The recovered documents showed properties in prime locations
0:32:13 > 0:32:15all over London,
0:32:15 > 0:32:19all apparently owned by Scot just before they split.
0:32:23 > 0:32:28This is a very strategic business. Clients plan divorces.
0:32:28 > 0:32:32They come and see me well ahead of time and they take advice
0:32:32 > 0:32:34and they plan their exit.
0:32:36 > 0:32:38I mean, how much in advance would they plan?
0:32:38 > 0:32:3918 months.
0:32:41 > 0:32:44A wealthy husband will come in and he'll sit there
0:32:44 > 0:32:46and he'll say, "What happens if...?"
0:32:46 > 0:32:48And I do a lot of what I call "what if" meetings.
0:32:48 > 0:32:50"What happens if I get divorced?"
0:32:50 > 0:32:52And then he'll say, "Well, I haven't got quite got there,
0:32:52 > 0:32:57"but, if I'm wanting to protect myself now, what steps should I take?"
0:32:57 > 0:33:01You say to your client, "Look, there are various things you can do,
0:33:01 > 0:33:05"but I don't recommend it - they're not necessarily legal.
0:33:05 > 0:33:08"If you get found out, you're in trouble."
0:33:08 > 0:33:11We have an expression called "warehousing".
0:33:11 > 0:33:16You can seek to give your money away to a third party, but you have to
0:33:16 > 0:33:20genuinely give it away and then you may or may not get it back again.
0:33:20 > 0:33:21That's one tactic.
0:33:21 > 0:33:24You can seek to put money into an offshore trust.
0:33:26 > 0:33:29It's actually quite difficult to do legitimately
0:33:29 > 0:33:31and properly in this country.
0:33:32 > 0:33:36OK, I'm outside, I'm waiting for you. Thanks.
0:33:36 > 0:33:39Bye. OK. Thanks, thanks. Bye.
0:33:42 > 0:33:47In Lisa's case, the war began over who got the family Rolls,
0:33:47 > 0:33:51but then it was worth quarter of a million pounds.
0:33:51 > 0:33:53I wanted this car.
0:33:53 > 0:33:55I've gone to the showroom, designed it, picked it up.
0:33:55 > 0:33:58I had the family name written.
0:34:01 > 0:34:04He picked it up from the garage and told them it belonged to him,
0:34:04 > 0:34:07and the war started.
0:34:07 > 0:34:10The Rolls-Royce wasn't really... It didn't matter,
0:34:10 > 0:34:14but it's the fact that it happened at that time that raised
0:34:14 > 0:34:21all the anger and raised all the hatred all at the same time.
0:34:21 > 0:34:25So, you know, this side of the power was fighting that side of the power.
0:34:25 > 0:34:28We were like... punching at each other.
0:34:28 > 0:34:32Lisa's brothers, Robbie and Vincent Tchenguiz, had entered the fray.
0:34:32 > 0:34:35Multi-millionaire property tycoons,
0:34:35 > 0:34:37they shared their offices with Lisa's husband.
0:34:39 > 0:34:41My brothers had their suspicions.
0:34:41 > 0:34:43You know, they're boys, they're alpha males.
0:34:43 > 0:34:47They were super close and super protective.
0:34:47 > 0:34:49Vincent and Robbie were worried
0:34:49 > 0:34:52Lisa's husband would misrepresent his financial position.
0:34:54 > 0:34:57Robbie, my brother, told him to leave our family offices
0:34:57 > 0:35:01because then it was like, "Enough now. You know, it's...
0:35:01 > 0:35:04"You know, you're hurting her all day long. It's enough."
0:35:04 > 0:35:07Taking matters into their own hands,
0:35:07 > 0:35:10the brothers downloaded thousands of financial documents
0:35:10 > 0:35:12belonging to Vivian.
0:35:12 > 0:35:15Vivian, understandably, was very upset.
0:35:15 > 0:35:17He successfully sued for breach of privacy.
0:35:17 > 0:35:21The judge made it clear there was no compelling evidence
0:35:21 > 0:35:24that Vivian had tried to mislead his wife.
0:35:24 > 0:35:27There were lawyers everywhere,
0:35:27 > 0:35:29legal bills everywhere.
0:35:29 > 0:35:32My brothers had their own team, I had my own team.
0:35:32 > 0:35:34Vivian had his own team.
0:35:34 > 0:35:38So the winners ultimately were really very much the lawyers.
0:35:41 > 0:35:44I used to read all the articles, you know,
0:35:44 > 0:35:48"Why doesn't she go get a job? Why does she want so much money?"
0:35:48 > 0:35:51It really wasn't about "give me all this".
0:35:51 > 0:35:53It was well deserved on my part.
0:35:55 > 0:35:58I wanted to get back for all the years that I had contributed.
0:35:59 > 0:36:01OK, OK.
0:36:02 > 0:36:08I think the reason I fought so hard is my pain wasn't a one-minute pain.
0:36:08 > 0:36:10It went on for too many years.
0:36:10 > 0:36:16I just needed something back for all the years
0:36:16 > 0:36:18I contributed so much.
0:36:24 > 0:36:27I look at this building as a demonic building.
0:36:27 > 0:36:29It makes me feel physically sick.
0:36:32 > 0:36:37Five years after Michelle's crusade began, and her case was a mess.
0:36:37 > 0:36:40She'd constantly chopped and changed lawyers.
0:36:40 > 0:36:42There'd been a number of disputes,
0:36:42 > 0:36:46but, it seemed to me, hard for her to give up the fight.
0:36:46 > 0:36:49She'd spent millions on an army of lawyers
0:36:49 > 0:36:54and private investigators, and she was convinced Scot was hiding money.
0:36:56 > 0:36:58MAN MUTTERS
0:36:59 > 0:37:01Got you.
0:37:01 > 0:37:06One of the investigators Michelle hired was Dai Davies.
0:37:06 > 0:37:08Hello. Sit, sit.
0:37:09 > 0:37:13In his previous life, he was Head of the Royal Protection Squad.
0:37:17 > 0:37:18Wearing his baseball hat.
0:37:18 > 0:37:20He was very fond of that.
0:37:20 > 0:37:24Dai arranged for an undercover team to follow Scot.
0:37:26 > 0:37:29He almost looks as if he thinks he's under surveillance there.
0:37:29 > 0:37:31INDISTINCT CHATTER
0:37:36 > 0:37:38Ordinary folk who go through divorce
0:37:38 > 0:37:40don't commission this detective work, do they?
0:37:40 > 0:37:42No, but it was as a consequence of what we'd found.
0:37:42 > 0:37:44We felt it was viable.
0:37:46 > 0:37:49We felt there was credible evidence to show that he was living
0:37:49 > 0:37:51a lifestyle not of a pauper.
0:37:54 > 0:38:01He always had huge wads of banknotes, high denomination,
0:38:01 > 0:38:04and so, whenever he actually got, you know, his wallet,
0:38:04 > 0:38:08you could actually see the bulge and the colour of £50 notes.
0:38:10 > 0:38:12Well, look at that now - it's on the video there.
0:38:12 > 0:38:14You can see that he's just taken out
0:38:14 > 0:38:16a fairly substantial wedge
0:38:16 > 0:38:18of £50 notes there.
0:38:19 > 0:38:21For a man who is a pauper,
0:38:21 > 0:38:23allegedly...
0:38:23 > 0:38:28I don't normally carry around huge amounts of money in my wallet.
0:38:28 > 0:38:32And the aspect is, there's no trace with cash, is there?
0:38:33 > 0:38:36For years, Scot had been threatened
0:38:36 > 0:38:38with prison for non-disclosure.
0:38:38 > 0:38:40When we went back to the court
0:38:40 > 0:38:43and he was asked to say... "What did you do?
0:38:43 > 0:38:48"And how did you dispose of certain shares?" - millions of them -
0:38:48 > 0:38:52he says, "I decline to answer on the grounds I might incriminate myself."
0:38:53 > 0:38:57Well, to the great British public, if that's not a clue, you know,
0:38:57 > 0:38:59what is?
0:38:59 > 0:39:02And yet the courts - this is my point - the courts perpetually
0:39:02 > 0:39:07allowed him to continue to evade telling the truth for years,
0:39:07 > 0:39:10until eventually a sensible judge said,
0:39:10 > 0:39:13"Well, you're going to prison." But unfortunately,
0:39:13 > 0:39:15the same sensible judge allowed him out again
0:39:15 > 0:39:19without telling us anything, which doesn't make him quite so sensible.
0:39:19 > 0:39:24- He never told?- No. And one has to ask why.
0:39:24 > 0:39:27That's a big question, really. I wouldn't want to go to prison.
0:39:30 > 0:39:33Scot served three months of a six-month sentence.
0:39:35 > 0:39:37When he came out, he caught the bus home.
0:39:43 > 0:39:46As for Michelle, she borrowed yet more money
0:39:46 > 0:39:51and hired yet more lawyers... and went on with her fight.
0:39:53 > 0:39:56Good lawyers are ones where they have to say to the client,
0:39:56 > 0:40:00"You're going to lose," because, if you allow a client just to have
0:40:00 > 0:40:04the better of you and to fight a case which is rubbish
0:40:04 > 0:40:07or is bound to lose, she's going to end up paying a lot of money
0:40:07 > 0:40:11to end up worse off than she might have otherwise been
0:40:11 > 0:40:12had she taken your advice.
0:40:12 > 0:40:17So it is our professional obligation to tell people
0:40:17 > 0:40:21when they're wrong and to encourage them not to go down blind alleys.
0:40:23 > 0:40:26Litigation has a momentum of its own.
0:40:28 > 0:40:32And if you are a woman who is absolutely convinced
0:40:32 > 0:40:38that there is this pot of gold and you've been advised that
0:40:38 > 0:40:42you're going to get half of it or you're going to get a sizable sum,
0:40:42 > 0:40:46you will also have been advised that the court system will look after you.
0:40:46 > 0:40:50And for a lot of women, what that really means is, "I've just got to do this,
0:40:50 > 0:40:53"I've got to do my homework and I've got to do this religiously,
0:40:53 > 0:40:56"and then everything will be all right at the end of it."
0:40:56 > 0:41:00And I think it's those women that come unstuck.
0:41:00 > 0:41:05No court system, no judge is promising you a rainbow.
0:41:05 > 0:41:08You don't know what you're going to get at the end of the day.
0:41:08 > 0:41:09It depends on the judge you get,
0:41:09 > 0:41:12it depends on whether he had his Weetabix that morning.
0:41:12 > 0:41:13It's a lottery.
0:41:13 > 0:41:17However fantastic a system we have, there's no absolute certainty
0:41:17 > 0:41:19when you litigate.
0:41:22 > 0:41:27For Lisa, four years of litigation was quite enough.
0:41:27 > 0:41:29I just didn't want to spend another second
0:41:29 > 0:41:35wasting my life on a past life that wasn't worth salvaging.
0:41:35 > 0:41:39You know, I had no... I felt no kindness towards him,
0:41:39 > 0:41:40I felt no feelings.
0:41:42 > 0:41:45I wanted out in every manner that I could.
0:41:46 > 0:41:51I'd spent too many years litigating with him, and I needed to walk away.
0:41:51 > 0:41:54It was toxic. It was going to make me sick, ultimately.
0:41:58 > 0:42:01Lisa settled for £15 million -
0:42:01 > 0:42:05100 million less than she'd originally asked for.
0:42:06 > 0:42:10I took the decision by myself, and it was the best decision
0:42:10 > 0:42:13I ever took to move on with the rest of my life.
0:42:15 > 0:42:19- Hello.- Hi.- How convenient.
0:42:19 > 0:42:22- How are you?- Good, how are you? - I'm good.
0:42:22 > 0:42:24- Can I introduce you? This is Steve. - Yeah. Of course.
0:42:24 > 0:42:26- Steve, this is Steve. - How are you doing, Steve?
0:42:26 > 0:42:28Steve is Lisa's new love.
0:42:28 > 0:42:31He's a self-made man in the corporate jet business.
0:42:31 > 0:42:34Why don't you just show us around here a little bit?
0:42:34 > 0:42:39Show you around? OK. Well, this is an Airbus 319, which is
0:42:39 > 0:42:43the inside of this aircraft, similar to what you fly around on easyJet.
0:42:43 > 0:42:46A little bit different, kitted out.
0:42:46 > 0:42:51Living room, dining room, bedrooms, showers, kitchen, things like that.
0:42:51 > 0:42:56This was sort of recreated to be the best location in London.
0:42:56 > 0:42:58You used to be based where?
0:42:58 > 0:43:02- Based in America. Yeah. - How come you came here?
0:43:02 > 0:43:05I came here more because Lisa was here,
0:43:05 > 0:43:08and justified in my head that it made more sense
0:43:08 > 0:43:10that the business belonged here.
0:43:10 > 0:43:12You came for love, really?
0:43:12 > 0:43:14You can say that.
0:43:18 > 0:43:21# I'm feeling good... #
0:43:28 > 0:43:33Lisa loves her birthdays, and she loves her birthday parties.
0:43:33 > 0:43:36- How many people at that, then? - 1,100 people.
0:43:38 > 0:43:41Lisa! We love you more than anything in the world!
0:43:41 > 0:43:44You're like my second mum!
0:43:44 > 0:43:48I know it's hard to imagine 1,100 people that you know,
0:43:48 > 0:43:50but we really knew all of them.
0:43:51 > 0:43:54I put six months of effort into designing
0:43:54 > 0:44:01and making that party very, very particularly bespoke for Lisa.
0:44:01 > 0:44:03This is your job, then? Party planner?
0:44:03 > 0:44:06Yeah, I had a lot of pleasure out of doing it for her.
0:44:07 > 0:44:10Lisa, I love you. Everybody in this room loves you.
0:44:10 > 0:44:13And may you, and all of us here, be fortunate enough
0:44:13 > 0:44:18to have each other in all of our lives for a long, long time to come.
0:44:19 > 0:44:25- What did you spend, tell me? A little hint?- Yeah...
0:44:25 > 0:44:27I could have bought a small plane.
0:44:35 > 0:44:37And I think he's 100% correct.
0:44:38 > 0:44:41Moving on after divorce is never easy.
0:44:44 > 0:44:47But Scot clearly hadn't had a problem.
0:44:47 > 0:44:50I was told about this footage of Scot
0:44:50 > 0:44:53with his girlfriend, Noelle, on reality TV.
0:44:55 > 0:44:57The show follows socialite women
0:44:57 > 0:45:00who lead glamorous lives in London.
0:45:00 > 0:45:03I first met Scot through my ex-fiance
0:45:03 > 0:45:05because they were social friends.
0:45:05 > 0:45:06And Scot proposed marriage to me
0:45:06 > 0:45:09within three months of me knowing him.
0:45:09 > 0:45:11- BLEEP.- Champagne glass, please.
0:45:11 > 0:45:15Fresh out of prison, it's clear from the programme Scot was enjoying
0:45:15 > 0:45:20a champagne lifestyle whilst still pleading poverty in court.
0:45:20 > 0:45:22What do you want the next year to bring?
0:45:22 > 0:45:25Happiness for you and me.
0:45:26 > 0:45:28Oh, so romantic.
0:45:32 > 0:45:36Noelle is a former model and 20 years younger than Scot.
0:45:36 > 0:45:38Scot's going through
0:45:38 > 0:45:41one of the most high-profile divorces in Britain.
0:45:41 > 0:45:43His ex-wife is saying he has all this money,
0:45:43 > 0:45:45he's saying I don't have anything,
0:45:45 > 0:45:49and it's four years of trying to figure out, "Does he/doesn't he?"
0:45:49 > 0:45:52Noelle and Scot don't hold back from talking on camera
0:45:52 > 0:45:55about the court case or his ex-wife.
0:45:55 > 0:46:00The woman's a fantasist, but she spins a great yarn.
0:46:00 > 0:46:03And a lot of people have obviously believed in it.
0:46:03 > 0:46:06It's because she believes her own crap.
0:46:08 > 0:46:11But in the end, after seven years in court,
0:46:11 > 0:46:14it was Scot who was branded a liar.
0:46:14 > 0:46:15DOG BARKS
0:46:18 > 0:46:22The judge at the final hearing said Scot had hidden assets
0:46:22 > 0:46:25but, as hard as he tried, the judge couldn't locate
0:46:25 > 0:46:29the hundreds of millions Michelle maintained existed.
0:46:30 > 0:46:33When you walked away from court, how did you feel?
0:46:33 > 0:46:35I felt devastated.
0:46:35 > 0:46:38- The court awarded you 26 million. - Mm-hm.
0:46:40 > 0:46:44- But that wasn't enough, as far as you were concerned?- No.
0:46:44 > 0:46:46It wasn't what was actually in the estate.
0:46:49 > 0:46:53The judge said that I would probably never get paid.
0:46:55 > 0:46:57- He was awarding you the money, nevertheless?- Yes.
0:46:59 > 0:47:00So...
0:47:00 > 0:47:03But knowing you'd probably never find it ever...
0:47:03 > 0:47:06So what is the point of court proceedings?
0:47:06 > 0:47:10I had to fight tooth and nail for seven years in the family courts
0:47:10 > 0:47:14to have an award which was ignored.
0:47:14 > 0:47:16Please tell me how that's justice?
0:47:22 > 0:47:27For eight long years, Scot stuck to his story that he had no money.
0:47:27 > 0:47:30- RECORDING:- Do I have your word that you're on you own at the moment?
0:47:30 > 0:47:32- MICHELLE:- Yes, I am on my own at the moment.
0:47:32 > 0:47:36Then one day he called Michelle with an extraordinary offer.
0:49:38 > 0:49:42For a family torn apart by divorce, the phone call represented
0:49:42 > 0:49:46the last chance for two parents to end their war.
0:49:48 > 0:49:50But Scot and Michelle never settled,
0:49:50 > 0:49:53and they never spoke to each other again.
0:50:02 > 0:50:04- NEWS ARCHIVE:- It's emerged a man who died after falling
0:50:04 > 0:50:07from a fourth-floor penthouse onto a set of railings
0:50:07 > 0:50:12in Marylebone on Monday was the property tycoon Scot Young.
0:50:18 > 0:50:22Scot's tragic death remains shrouded in mystery.
0:50:25 > 0:50:29At the inquest, the coroner recorded an open verdict,
0:50:29 > 0:50:33saying there was no evidence of an accident, suicide or foul play.
0:50:35 > 0:50:39This case has been screaming fraud from day one.
0:50:39 > 0:50:42And now implicated in that is probably a murder.
0:50:45 > 0:50:48There are a number of theories about why Scot died,
0:50:48 > 0:50:52but it's widely believed that his death was connected
0:50:52 > 0:50:55to the way he'd apparently been making his money.
0:50:55 > 0:50:57It's said that in later years
0:50:57 > 0:51:01Scot may have been money-laundering for his Russian business partners
0:51:01 > 0:51:05and was caught up in a web of criminality.
0:51:05 > 0:51:09It certainly would explain why he refused to disclose his finances
0:51:09 > 0:51:13to the court and why he was prepared to go to prison -
0:51:13 > 0:51:16it may not have been all his own money.
0:51:18 > 0:51:20This fraud is huge...
0:51:20 > 0:51:24Of course, Scot did eventually offer Michelle £30 million
0:51:24 > 0:51:27in the phone call, but there are new claims
0:51:27 > 0:51:31that the hundreds of millions she's spent all these years chasing
0:51:31 > 0:51:33never actually existed.
0:51:36 > 0:51:39Is it possible that he really did lose the money?
0:51:39 > 0:51:41Absolutely not. It's ridiculous.
0:51:41 > 0:51:49There's a lot of media propaganda that surrounds this case,
0:51:49 > 0:51:52but that's why I take it with a pinch of salt.
0:51:52 > 0:51:54PHONE RINGS
0:51:59 > 0:52:03Well, we'll soon see if it's another stitch-up.
0:52:03 > 0:52:04It's called shadow courts.
0:52:06 > 0:52:09Scot's death has made Michelle's pursuit of the money
0:52:09 > 0:52:11even more difficult.
0:52:11 > 0:52:15But 11 years on, she has far from given up
0:52:15 > 0:52:18and continues to pursue a number of leads.
0:52:18 > 0:52:21Look, he... Look, they have.. No, look... Yeah.
0:52:23 > 0:52:27Recently, she discovered Scot had a life insurance policy.
0:52:27 > 0:52:31It was taken out long before they separated
0:52:31 > 0:52:33and Michelle is a beneficiary.
0:52:33 > 0:52:36I'm prepared for them, whatever it takes,
0:52:36 > 0:52:39and I'm here to win the war, and I will.
0:52:39 > 0:52:43She's having to go to court to stop the money going to her creditors.
0:52:43 > 0:52:45I tell you what could be interesting -
0:52:45 > 0:52:48if we found out who the witness is and what evidence
0:52:48 > 0:52:49they've got. That...
0:52:51 > 0:52:53Yeah. Exactly.
0:52:53 > 0:52:56Exactly. Bye.
0:52:57 > 0:53:00- How are you feeling?- Fine.
0:53:00 > 0:53:02It's not the first time I've been to court.
0:53:02 > 0:53:05This is probably about the 70th.
0:53:14 > 0:53:16- Morning.- Morning.
0:53:16 > 0:53:20Michelle has always maintained her fight isn't just about her case.
0:53:22 > 0:53:27These days, she's immersed herself in what she sees as a bigger battle.
0:53:27 > 0:53:31And I have to say, there is major injustice happening to families
0:53:31 > 0:53:36day in and day out, and I'm campaigning for these people
0:53:36 > 0:53:38to have justice.
0:53:38 > 0:53:40OK, I will read all of that, take it on board.
0:53:40 > 0:53:43- Thank you very much.- Yes. - Thank you very much.
0:53:43 > 0:53:45- Hello. - I didn't realise you were on air.
0:53:45 > 0:53:47We're finished. We've just finished.
0:53:48 > 0:53:51My name's Michelle Young. I have my own foundation
0:53:51 > 0:53:56where mainly women and children are being left destitute by the family courts.
0:53:56 > 0:53:59It is atrocious. They're being sectioned,
0:53:59 > 0:54:01imprisoned with gagging orders
0:54:01 > 0:54:04after they've stolen their children.
0:54:04 > 0:54:08The cases - it's women and children through the family courts...
0:54:08 > 0:54:12..who are losing their children, never seeing their children again.
0:54:12 > 0:54:15Could you pass this to all the taxi drivers?
0:54:15 > 0:54:16WHISTLES BLOW
0:54:18 > 0:54:22To this day, Michelle has never received the £26 million
0:54:22 > 0:54:24she was awarded,
0:54:24 > 0:54:29though she did receive £300,000 from Scot's life insurance policy.
0:54:31 > 0:54:33As for the future,
0:54:33 > 0:54:37the £17 million of bankruptcy debts still hang over her.
0:54:39 > 0:54:42Hello there. Could I hand that to you?
0:54:42 > 0:54:45You are never going to get two people walking away
0:54:45 > 0:54:47from a divorce process thinking,
0:54:47 > 0:54:49"Gosh, that was good. That was the right answer."
0:54:49 > 0:54:51It's very, very rare.
0:54:51 > 0:54:55This is always going to be fantastically imperfect.
0:54:55 > 0:54:59My own view is that marriage is a very good thing.
0:54:59 > 0:55:04A certain amount of money is also a good thing
0:55:04 > 0:55:06because not having it is not a good thing.
0:55:07 > 0:55:09Having a great deal of money
0:55:09 > 0:55:12can produce its own tensions and complications,
0:55:12 > 0:55:16but, hey, all's fair in love, war and divorce cases.
0:55:18 > 0:55:20People always assume that being a divorce lawyer
0:55:20 > 0:55:23is a really miserable and depressing job. I don't see it that way.
0:55:23 > 0:55:25But I think it is quite shocking
0:55:25 > 0:55:29that love can turn to hate so quickly
0:55:29 > 0:55:33and that people's memories are short.
0:55:33 > 0:55:37Money and happiness and love are three separate words.
0:55:37 > 0:55:40They do not come together very often.
0:55:49 > 0:55:51You are kidding me?
0:55:51 > 0:55:55- What do you think?- Oh, my God.
0:55:55 > 0:55:57# Fairy tale
0:55:57 > 0:56:00# My favourite fairy tale
0:56:00 > 0:56:02# Is the one I live
0:56:02 > 0:56:06# With wonderful you
0:56:08 > 0:56:10# Life is so grand
0:56:10 > 0:56:12# A fabulous fairyland... #
0:56:12 > 0:56:14- MAN WHISTLES - Whoo, sexy.
0:56:14 > 0:56:17# And we walk it hand in hand
0:56:17 > 0:56:19# As lovers do... #
0:56:19 > 0:56:22- Can I see it? Can I see it? - Michelle can come?
0:56:22 > 0:56:23SHE GASPS
0:56:23 > 0:56:26Wow. How gorgeous.
0:56:26 > 0:56:29Oh, my God! Steve!
0:56:29 > 0:56:33# With your tender kiss You open the door... #
0:56:33 > 0:56:35I'm going to cry.
0:56:35 > 0:56:38# You are marvellous, divine... #
0:56:38 > 0:56:39What about the future, then?
0:56:39 > 0:56:41For the two of you?
0:56:41 > 0:56:44And we go off into the sunset.
0:56:46 > 0:56:49Now I'm really going to cry. This is amazing!
0:56:49 > 0:56:51# Fairy tale... #
0:56:51 > 0:56:53There's no reason for us to be married.
0:56:53 > 0:56:55We're together with each other all the time -
0:56:55 > 0:56:57the same as being married.
0:56:57 > 0:57:00This is like the best, I swear.
0:57:01 > 0:57:03We're happy and everything's working perfect,
0:57:03 > 0:57:05so why change if it's not broken?
0:57:05 > 0:57:08I'm just, urch, so overwhelmed. It's so fantastic.
0:57:08 > 0:57:10Is it urch or are you overwhelmed?
0:57:10 > 0:57:14Like, "urch, I'm going to cry", but I'm so overwhelmed.
0:57:14 > 0:57:18If, God forbid, Steve and I got separated, what would happen?
0:57:18 > 0:57:22- I go my way, she goes her way. - I mean, there's no...
0:57:22 > 0:57:23There's no...
0:57:23 > 0:57:25We have no joint pots.
0:57:25 > 0:57:28It will be what's his is his, what's mine is what's mine.
0:57:28 > 0:57:31I don't think we'll have any interest
0:57:31 > 0:57:35in each other's affairs as such. No.
0:57:35 > 0:57:39# Fantasy became a reality... #
0:57:39 > 0:57:40Look at the walls.
0:57:40 > 0:57:44I've never been happier in my life, and I am the empowered woman
0:57:44 > 0:57:47I am today because I have a strong man behind me.
0:57:47 > 0:57:50That's great. Let's get a lovely kiss here too. Go on.
0:57:51 > 0:57:55Beautiful. Gorgeous. Wonderful.
0:57:55 > 0:58:01The Lisa of today is the best Lisa she's ever been.
0:58:02 > 0:58:04# Fairy tale... #
0:58:04 > 0:58:07Part of it is the bad experiences I've gone through,
0:58:07 > 0:58:12the sad ones, the ugly divorces.
0:58:12 > 0:58:14The tough times make me grow.
0:58:21 > 0:58:23Come on, come on.
0:58:25 > 0:58:28I have a lot of my friends who come to me for advice.
0:58:28 > 0:58:33I've become the divorce guru of all my girlfriends.
0:58:34 > 0:58:39The first thing I say is try and settle, for the sake of your children,
0:58:39 > 0:58:44so that they don't have to see so much suffering between two people.
0:58:44 > 0:58:48Try and settle because you win your life back quicker.
0:58:50 > 0:58:54Litigation is poisonous, it's really poisonous.
0:59:02 > 0:59:04# Fairy tale
0:59:04 > 0:59:08# My favourite fairy tale
0:59:08 > 0:59:14# Is the one I live with wonderful you
0:59:15 > 0:59:18# Life is so grand
0:59:18 > 0:59:21# A fabulous fairyland
0:59:21 > 0:59:24# And we walk it hand in hand
0:59:24 > 0:59:27# As lovers do
0:59:29 > 0:59:31# Fantasy... #