Hamish Hurley and Mandy Gray lived the good life - travelling the world in private jets and a lavish superyacht bought on her dime.
The Kiwi physical therapist and the wealthy American divorcee lived a life of luxury unthinkable to most people - buying sprawling properties and splashing out on supercars while Gray poured millions into Hurley's bank account and businesses.
They spent 15 months sailing, blogging about their travels on a kitted-out $6 million superyacht called Enso. It seemed they were very much in love - Hurley even proposed to Gray several times, although she always refused.
Hurley is now battling for a share of $39 million of assets acquired during their six-year relationship.
But he has defended himself against claims of being a gold digger - telling his ex in February he loved her but he couldn't "be with someone who thinks I used them".
Gray's lawyers have claimed Hurley has just $1000 in the bank.
From the start of the relationship, Gray paid for Hurley's spending - even before she won a $174m payout from her ex-husband, a Texan financier. Before her divorce was finalised, Gray sold two rings for more than $600,000 and put the money in a Swiss bank account she had opened for Hurley. Hurley spent most of the cash ($450,000) on a Ferrari 458 Speciale in 2014.
It was the first of dozens of cash injections including millions poured into Hurley's green juice business, Zuma Juice, and other business proposals including skincare and advertising software.
All four cars now sit in a garage in Switzerland, registered in Hurley's name. Along with deposits on a Pagani Huayra Roadster - one of only 100 in the world - and a Ferrari 488 Pista, he estimates the fleet is now worth $19 million. The battle also includes about $13.3m in cash.
The Mail reported that Gray claimed Hurley enjoyed "a lavish international lifestyle funded by me", including rent-free living in her £5 million home in London's Marylebone, clothes from reknowned designer Tom Ford and Michelin-star meals. She funded holidays to India, Thailand, the Maldives, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Brazil.
Hurley went on lengthy yoga and meditation retreats and received $76,000 worth of stem-cell injections, vitamin IVs and ozone treatments, all funded by Gray, according to the Mail.
In 2014 the pair bought a run-down villa on the 16th-century Castello di Reschio estate in Umbria, north of Rome, for $16 million, and nearly the same amount was spent restoring it. The property, known as San Martino, was registered in both their names but Gray now claims Hurley pressured her into buying it and they never spent a single night there.
Bordering on Mt Aspiring National Park, the station's pristine alpine views and extensive pasture and river flats are now worth $25 million, Hurley estimates.
The station is owned by the pair's company 4Hector. Hurley owns 76 per cent and Gray the remaining 24 per cent of shares to get around Overseas Investment Office rules.
As the pair's relationship is now dragged through the courts, Gray has accused Hurley of manipulating and "suffocating" her and claimed physical and emotional abuse.
Hurley has strenuously denied those claims and his lawyers accuse Gray of reframing what was a loving and consensual partnership.
Hurley, who was also previously divorced, is now living with his parents in Waverley in the South Island. He wanted the case tried in New Zealand but yesterday Gray won the right to have it tried in the UK.
Comments
Classic Gold digger and infatuated older woman and now its all turned to brown stuff he is digging even deeper.
He saw a mark and worked it as far as he could till she woke up to him.
Bet she ends up winning.