Slavica Ecclestone (; born 2 June 1958) is a Croatian former model and the ex-wife of former

Formula 1 Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

CEO

Bernie Ecclestone Bernard Charles Ecclestone (born 28 October 1930) is an English business magnate. He is the former chief executive of the Formula One Group, which manages Formula One motor racing and controls the commercial rights to the sport, and part-owns ...

Early life

Ecclestone was born in

Rijeka Rijeka ( , , ; also known as Fiume hu, Fiume, it, Fiume ; local Chakavian: ''Reka''; german: Sankt Veit am Flaum; sl, Reka) is the principal seaport and the third-largest city in Croatia (after Zagreb and Split). It is located in Primor ...

, where her Serb parents—Jovan "Jovo" Radić and Ljubica Malić from Maglajani and Riječani, respectively, both villages within the Laktaši municipality, PR Bosnia and Herzegovina—had settled shortly before her birth in search of expanded job opportunities. The family soon moved back to northern

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and He ...

to her father's village, meaning Slavica would spend the majority of her childhood in Maglajani. After her parents divorced when she was seven years old, being raised by her mother Ljubica, Slavica was taught to "not do to someone else what you wouldn't want to be done to yourself."

Career

In her early career, Slavica worked as a fashion model, modelling for a number of clients, including the designer Armani. While working on a Formula One promotional event for Armani at the

1982 Italian Grand Prix The 1982 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monza on 12 September 1982. This was the final pole position, podium, finish, and points for 1978 World Champion Mario Andretti at this race. René Arnoux won the race. Arnoux annou ...

Monza Monza (, ; lmo, label=Lombard language, Lombard, Monça, locally ; lat, Modoetia) is a city and ''comune'' on the River Lambro, a tributary of the Po River, Po in the Lombardy region of Italy, about north-northeast of Milan. It is the capit ...

, the twenty-four-year-old model met fifty-two-year-old Formula One chief

. Bernie pursued Slavica despite the 28-year age difference, the language barrier (she spoke Serbo-Croatian and Italian, he spoke only English), and their difference in height. At , Slavica was nearly a foot taller than her suitor, Ecclestone being tall.

Personal life

From her marriage, Slavica has two daughters, Tamara (1984) and

Petra Petra ( ar, ٱلْبَتْرَاء, Al-Batrāʾ; grc, Πέτρα, "Rock", Nabataean Aramaic, Nabataean: ), originally known to its inhabitants as Raqmu or Raqēmō, is an historic and archaeological city in southern Jordan. It is adjacent to t ...

(1988). In November 2008, Slavica filed for divorce after 23 years of marriage. The divorce was granted on 11 March 2009. She ranked 194 in '' The Sunday Times''' Rich List after she was awarded an estimated £740 million from her divorce. In December 2019, she put her Chelsea mansion up for sale for more than £100m after daughter Tamara's home in

Kensington Palace Gardens Kensington Palace Gardens is an exclusive street in Kensington, west of central London, near Kensington Gardens and Kensington Palace. Entered through gates at either end and guarded by sentry boxes, it was the location of the London Cage, th ...

was raided and jewels worth £50m were stolen.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ecclestone, Slavica 1958 births Living people

Slavica Slavica may refer to: People * Slavica Ćukteraš Slavica may refer to: People * Slavica Ćukteraš (born 1985), Serbian singer * Slavica Đukić (born 1960), Serbian handball player * Slavica Ecclestone (born 1958), Croatian fashion model * ...

Formula One people People from Rijeka Serbs of Croatia Yugoslav emigrants to the United Kingdom Racing drivers' wives and girlfriends Croatian female models