After his acrimonious divorce from wife Slavica, Bernie Ecclestone vowed never to wed again. But the Formula 1 boss has popped the question to another statuesque lady, and has been playfully proclaiming: "I didn't need to go down on one knee. "The 5ft 3in tycoon will wed 5ft 10in Brazilian lawyer Fabiana Flosi, 36.
Bernie, who turns 82 in October, told the Daily Mail: "We are officially engaged – and it is not going to be a long engagement either. We are so happy and it’s just a case of when we get married, not if, though we haven’t fixed a time or place yet."
The age gap of 46 years has been no barrier to love, says Bernie: "We get on enormously well." "We have been together for two years and what makes it work is that Fabiana has a really good sense of humour – and when you live with me you need to have a sense of humour. Though I must say I am absolutely no trouble at home and I think she is lucky to have me."
Bernie's fiancée has been showing off the fabulous gem that sealed the deal – a marquise cut diamond ring thought to be worth around £100,000. It remains to be seen whether Bernie and his bride-to-be want an intimate wedding or a lavish affair, like his daughter Petra's spectacular £12 million bash. Following the wedding Bernie revealed he had no idea of the huge cost involved until after the event.
The racing supremo first met Fabiana at the 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix while she was vice-president of marketing for Formula 1. Romance blossomed when the pair met for the second time on a mutual friend’s yacht in Turkey.
