1 week Ago By Lynn Farah
While the fabulously wealthy couple, who share 3 children, separated in 2002, Linda held onto their 11-bedroom London mansion, and also owned a US$65 million hillside retreat in Mallorca Billionaire Mike Ashley is one of the richest people in the UK, with an estimated net worth of US$4.8 billion, according to Forbes. {"@context":"https://schema.
org","@type":"ImageObject","caption":"Mike Ashley is worth billions. Photo: Reuters","url":"https://img.i-scmp.
com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2025/04/11/1c060e90-5fd0-4df9-9736-4885c1379529_39e14d0b.jpg"} Mike Ashley is worth billions. Photo: Reuters The low-key tycoon, 60, founded Sports Direct Warehouses – the country’s largest sporting retailer – and famously owned Newcastle United football club until he sold it to Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund in 2021, per Forbes.
He is notoriously private – and even more so when it comes to his relationship with his Swedish-born interior designer ex-wife Linda. Advertisement So who exactly is Linda Ashley, and what’s really going on between her and her billionaire ex? Here is what you need to know. Their complicated relationship {"@context":"https://schema.
org","@type":"ImageObject","caption":"Mike Ashley owned Newcastle United for several years. Photo: AP Photo","url":"https://img.i-scmp.
com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2025/04/11/6347e386-8c72-49bd-909f-bddea6e67735_9ff61161.jpg"} Mike Ashley owned Newcastle United for several years. Photo: AP Photo The couple are believed to have first met during their early twenties when Mike was a squash coach and started his first Sports Direct shop, according to the Daily Mail.
They eventually tied the knot in Linda’s native Sweden in 1989. Their romance came to an end in 2002, with the reported US$65 million settlement becoming one of the most expensive divorces in British history at the time. After the split, Linda began dating businessman Simon Brodin, with whom she had a son, per Chronicle Live.
Fast forward to 2014, and after 12 years apart, Mike and Linda set tongues wagging after they were spotted enjoying a series of cosy dinner dates in London, instantly sparking reconciliation rumours. Mike then added fuel to the fire when he attended Linda’s 50th birthday party celebration at her Mallorca home in June 2016, via The Sun. A defiant reunion during dark times {"@context":"https://schema.
org","@type":"ImageObject","caption":"Mike Ashley and Linda Ashley at a Barclays Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United. Photo: Getty Images","url":"https://img.i-scmp.
com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2025/04/11/e3e14ae7-5c94-4404-9d3a-ce28b6d8ef11_7e19746a.jpg"} Mike Ashley and Linda Ashley at a Barclays Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United. Photo: Getty Images.
