Self-made Phones 4u billionaire John Caudwell pledges to give away most of his fortune

Self-made billionaire John believes it's a 'privilege' to assistance those who 'can't assistance themselves' (Image: OK! Magazine / James Rudland)

Billionaire John Caudwell celebrated his 72nd day successful benignant aboard his luxury superyacht Titania, moored successful Monte Carlo, Monaco. Accompanied by his spouse of a decade, erstwhile Olympic cyclist Modesta Vžesniauskaitė, 41, and their 2 young children, it was a uncommon infinitesimal of relaxation for the typically engaged philanthropist.

According to The Sunday Times Rich List, John ranks arsenic the 109th richest idiosyncratic successful Britain, with a nett worthy of £1.54 billion. However, the father-of-seven – who welcomed his youngest kid past twelvemonth – epitomises the self-made man. Born successful Birmingham and brought up successful Stoke-on-Trent, helium started his vocation arsenic an apprentice astatine the Michelin tyre institution earlier founding what would go Phones 4U with his brother, Brian.

In 2006, they sold it for £1.46 billion. Today, John is hailed arsenic 1 of Britain's astir philanthropic individuals, spearheading Caudwell Children for disabled youngsters and the mentoring foundation Caudwell Youth alongside Modesta. In his words: "There's perfectly nary worth successful wealthiness if you don't bash thing with it that's meaningful."

John is among astir 250 billionaires globally who person signed The Giving Pledge – a committedness to donate implicit fractional of their luck to charitable causes, either during their beingness oregon posthumously. Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Richard Branson are besides signatories. John made his pledge successful 2013 and is baffled arsenic to wherefore the database isn't longer. "I've pledged 70% during and aft my lifetime. It's specified a privileged position, but affluent radical don't mostly 'get' it.

John Caudwell enjoyed his day with household connected his superyacht (Image: OK! Magazine / James Rudland)

"They deliberation I'm huffy for giving my wealth distant and for the clip I dedicate to charitable causes. But of those 250 of america that bash – retired of possibly 6,000 – it's our work to effort and marque the satellite a amended place. Assisting those who can't assistance themselves is simply a large privilege, not a burden."

Meanwhile, helium describes beingness with Modesta arsenic "extremely normal, wrong an abnormal environment". They reside successful Broughton Hall, Staffordshire, and besides ain properties successful London and Monaco. Modesta assists successful moving his 2 charities portion besides caring for their 2 young children – Isabella, one, and William, 3 – and her lad Leonardo, 12, from a erstwhile relationship.

John who besides owns a residence successful Mayfair, London said helium doesn't privation thing that costs wealth for his day and alternatively wants "emotionally important things, that wealth can't buy", reports OK!.

He added: "Modesta and [son] William made maine bacon and eggs this greeting with a ample strawberry day cake. I besides received immoderate bully slip-on shoes. But the astir precious acquisition was a photograph album, filled with beauteous snapshots of our lives – she progressive the kids successful creating immoderate childlike designs connected them.It was delightful to browse through."

In John's words, "There's perfectly nary worth successful wealthiness if you don't bash thing with it that's meaningful." (Image: OK! Magazine / James Rudland)

John's enactment ethic is formidable; sometimes helium logs up to 18-hour days, yet erstwhile astatine home, his absorption is unwaveringly connected household life. Despite having "an service of support" to streamline their day-to-day, John often finds himself astatine the helm successful the kitchen, rustling up meals that his household adores.

"The spot wherever we're not wholly mean is we bash person 1 oregon 2 staff," helium admits with a chuckle. However, his zeal for gastronomy shines through, "But I emotion cooking, it's a large hobby. I'm ever experimenting with dishes."

His woman Modesta cherishes his culinary enthusiasm. She confesses, "I don't similar cooking, but erstwhile John cooks it's similar a solemnisation successful the kitchen! Even our one-year-old loves Daddy's sauces, she ever asks for more."John is speedy to clarify with a chuckle, "And by Daddy's condiment she means my sauces, not the brownish worldly successful a bottle!"

Apart from food, John has different fervent pursuit – cycling, which incidentally led him to Modesta, a erstwhile Olympic roadworthy cyclist for Lithuania. The brace fell into measurement during a foundation event.

John's caller concern task has been his £2 cardinal 1 Mayfair task (Image: OK! Magazine / James Rudland)

"We some did a foundation thrust organised by Prince Albert of Monaco and spent each time chatting and enjoying each other's company," reminisces Modesta with a smile. "It seems similar yesterday, and present we're inactive connected our bikes, inactive loving each other, inactive doing foundation work." But today, their motorcycle outings see their children, Isabella and William, who articulation successful connected the fun.

John's caller concern task has been his £2 cardinal 1 Mayfair project, which involves transforming a erstwhile car parkland and edifice into 24 residences of "unprecedented standard and grandeur". His knack for transformations is evident successful the lawsuit of Titania, a 73m superyacht that rents for astir £525,000 a week and was featured successful The Crown for the Princess Diana scenes.

This week, he's hosting his Life-Changers Circle, an exclusive radical of 14 philanthropists and dedicated humanitarians who are required to donate a minimum of £100,000 a twelvemonth to Caudwell Children to enactment projects similar the Caudwell International Children's Centre successful Newcastle-under-Lyme.

And portion they're successful Monaco, helium and Modesta are besides hosting their yearly fundraising Butterfly Ball. John said: "If I'm going to thing similar Elton John's foundation shot and donating connected the night, each I person to bash is beryllium reasonably assured the wealth is going to a bully origin and being efficiently used, truthful no. But erstwhile I went connected immoderate foundation visits with Elton and looked astatine the enactment being done, determination was an affectional toll due to the fact that we met immoderate of the radical the foundation was helping."

The superyacht, which accommodates 12 guests and boasts a gym, quality salon and lift, is simply a highly palmy charter yacht and plays a important relation successful John's fundraising efforts (Image: OK! Magazine / James Rudland)

Before Isabella and William arrived, John had 3 children from his archetypal matrimony – Rebekah, Libby and Rufus – and different daughter, Scarlett, and lad Jacobi, from consequent relationships.

He says of being an older dad, "I person the luxury of clip now. I was gathering an empire the archetypal clip around. "The astir important happening for maine is that my kids turn up achieving happiness, and leaving the satellite a amended spot than they recovered it. I cognize that sounds cheesy but I genuinely judge there's thing much important."

The mates celebrated their decade-long narration earlier this year, sparking questions astir imaginable wedding plans oregon a tendency to instrumentality things easier. John remarks, "I've ne'er truly felt matrimony precise important. What's important is simply a committedness to making a narration past – not a portion of paper. Plus, Modesta and I person truthful galore important things to do, that's our focus."