The Staffordshire-born singer songwriter has a personal fortune of over £700million – making her one of the ten richest people in the West Midlands
Staffordshire-born songwriter Kirsty Bertarelli has been named one of the wealthiest people in the West Midlands, according to the 2025 Sunday Times Rich List.
With a personal fortune of £715 million, the singer and former Miss UK was ranked in the top ten richest individuals in the region.
Kirsty, who was born in Oulton, near Stone, appears in the list alone with her source of wealth listed as ‘divorce and song-writing.’
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Some of her wealth came from her divorce from billionaire husband Ernesto, but she’s also a pop singer and philanthropist.
Her story isn’t one of rags to riches, with her dad – along with her uncles – owning Sandyford pottery manufacturer Churchill China.
After spending her childhood in Staffordshire, the young Kirsty was sent to private boarding school Howell’s in North Wales and gained seven O levels.
Then, at 17, she joined a modelling agency in Manchester, which entered her for the Miss UK beauty contest.
Her modelling career took off and in 1988 she was crowned Miss UK and came second place runner-up for the Miss World pageant.
Kirsty set her sights on the music industry and she was signed to Warner Records where began writing music professionally.
In 1997, at the age of 26, she met Ernesto Bertarelli at a dinner party in a Sardinian villa. They married in 2000 and the same year Kirsty had a number one single with ‘Black Coffee’ – a song she co-wrote with the girl band All Saints.
Ernesto, an Italian-born Swiss businessman, owned biotech giant Serono until 2007. The couple – now divorced – have two children together.
Universal signed Kirsty in 2009, and she released her first single, “Don’t Say,” in December that year. Kirsty went on to sign a deal with Sony / ATV Music in 2012 and her single “Twilight” with trance DJ Armin Van Buuren peaked at the European dance charts for nine weeks.
Among her charity work, Kirsty has worked in partnership with the YMCA in Hanley, as well as local theatre and creative arts, including the city’s Literary Festival.
In 2016, Kirsty was given an Award of Honorary Doctor of Arts by Staffordshire University “in recognition of her charitable work and as an inspiration for young people in her active role supporting artistic and community projects throughout Stoke-on-Trent”.
Now, she has again been named in the Sunday Times Rich List. This year’s 76-page special edition features the likes of Sir Elton John, Lord Lloyd-Webber, Sir Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Euan Blair, Sir Lewis Hamilton and Sir Christopher Nolan.
Locally in the West Midlands, Kirsty features alongside Lord Bamford’s JCB business and Gymshark’s Ben Francis and his family.
THE SUNDAY TIMES RICH LIST 2025 – THE 10 WEALTHIEST IN THE WEST MIDLANDS
Regional
2025
Rank
National 2025 Rank
Name
2025 Wealth
Source of Wealth
Rise/Fall
2024 Wealth
1
15
Lord Bamford and family
£9.45bn
Construction giant
▲£1.8bn
£7.65bn
2
16
Denise, John and Peter Coates
£9.445bn
Gambling
▲£1.978bn
£7.467bn
3
105
John Caudwell
£1.6bn
Telecoms tycoon
▲£63m
£1.537bn
4
117
Caspar MacDonald-Hall and family
£1.355bn
Landlords
▲£105m
£1.25bn
5
150
Sir Peter, James and Steve Rigby
£1.041bn
Industrialists
▼£553m
£1.594bn
6
153
Ranjit and Baljinder Boparan and family
£1.017bn
Restaurateurs
▲£267m
£750m
7
159
Roy Richardson and family
£985m
Housebuilder and landlord
▲£5m
£980m
8
187
Lord Edmiston
£855m
Car dealer
▼£1m
£868m
9
211
Ben Francis and family
£726m
Retailer
▲£1m
£725m
10
215
Kirsty Bertarelli
£715m
Divorcee and songwriter
■ No change
£715m
The Sunday Times rich list can be viewed in full here.
