Flavio Briatore is the father of Leni Klum, an American model, and actress. Briatore, who was born on 12th April 1950, is currently 73 years old and is an astute Italian businessman best known for his work in Formula One.
Flavio Briatore had his daughter Leni with his ex-partner, Heidi Klum, a German and American supermodel, TV host, producer, and businesswoman. Flavio is, in his own right, a famous businessman, although his relationship with Heidi also boosted his presence in the limelight. What’s more, Flavio has remained successful despite multiple controversies surrounding him. Here’s all to know about him, including his relationship with Leni.
Summary of Flavio Briatore’s Bio
- Full name: Flavio Briatore
- Nickname: Tribüla
- Gender: Male
- Date of birth: 12th April 1950
- Flavio Briatore’s Age: 73 years old
- Ethnicity: White
- Nationality: Italian
- Zodiac Sign: Aries
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
- Marital Status: Separated
- Flavio Briatore’s Wife: Elisabetta Gregoraci
- Flavio Briatore’s Children: A daughter Leni Klum and a son
- Flavio Briatore’s Height in Inches: 6 feet 2 inches
- Flavio Briatore’s Height in Centimetres: 188 cm
- Flavio Briatore’s Weight: 88 kg
- Flavio Briatore’s Net Worth: $400 Million
- Famous for: Benetton Formula One racing team
- Flavio Briatore’s Instagram:
How Old Is Flavio Briatore?
Flavio Briatore is currently 73 years, and his birth sign is Aries, as he was born on the 12th of April 1950 in Verzuolo, a commune near Cuneo in the Maritime Alps, Italy. He is Italian by nationality and originates from a white ethnic background. Flavior was born into a middle-class family, with his parents, Glacomo Briatore and Caterina Chiotti, being elementary school teachers.
He was born and raised by his parents in his hometown Verzuolo apart from which, no other details are available about his family background and any possible siblings he could have. For his education, Flavio first attended two public schools but failed the two schools’ exams. He then moved to Fassino di Busca high school, a private school in their neighborhood, where he received a diploma with the lowest grade in Land Surveying.
Flavio Had His Daughter, Leni Klum, With Heidi Klum
In March 2003, Briatore started a relationship with German and American supermodel Heidi Klum. Heidi, in December of the same year, announced that she was pregnant with Flavio’s child, although their relationship was already on the verge of packing up. The model gave birth to their child, a daughter named Leni Klum, on 4th May 2004 in New York City, but by then, she had already split with Flavio and started dating musician Seal.
Leni Klum, who is presently 19 years old, had followed in her mother’s footsteps as a model. She made her official modeling debut in 2020 at the age of 16 as a model for Vogue Germany. Leni has since worked with a couple of other brands, including Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, Dolce & Gabbana’s Alta Moda, and others. Her Instagram handle is @leniklum.
Before he married his ex-wife, Elisabetta, Flavio Briatore has been involved in several relationships with women over the years. He dated Naomi Campbell from 1998 to 2003. The two also got engaged in 1999, but their relationship was on and off again until they finally separated in 2003. Nevertheless, they are now on good terms, and Naomi considers him her “mentor”.
Does Flavio Briatore have a Relationship with Leni Klum?
According to Heidi Klum, Briatore is not involved in their daughter Leni’s life. Heid has emphatically stated that Seal, who she is currently married to, is Leni’s father. Her reason was that Seal was the one present for Lenis’s birth and has since been a present father for her, while Flavio has been completely absent and played no role in Leni’s life.
Meanwhile, reports have it that Flavio is quite okay with not being involved in his daughter’s life, and in 2009, he permitted Seal to adopt Leni and even change her name. With this, it seems clear that the businessman is not interested in being a part of his daughter’s life. In his words, “It’s hard to miss a baby that you never see.”
Briatore Started His Career as a Restaurant Manager
Flavio Briatore worked in various industries and companies before he finally got established as a businessman. Although he came from an education-inclined family, Flavio has, since his childhood, being a business-inclined person, and this made him not further his education. After high school, he found a routine job as a ski instructor and restaurant manager.
He worked there briefly, and having gained some experience he needed, Briatore opened his own restaurant called Tribüla, which was his nickname. Sadly, the restaurant was not successful, so he had to shut it down as a result of the serial debt incurred. Following that, Briatore briefly worked as an insurance salesman, and in the late 1970s, he moved to Cuneo, where he became assistant to Attilio Dutto, an established businessman and owner of Paramatti Vernici paint company.
Attilio Dutto was sadly killed on 21st March 1979 by an unknown perpetrator in a car bomb attack. Following his death, Flavio moved to Milan and began working for Finanziaria Generale Italia at the Italian Stock Exchange, and it was during this time that he met with Luciano Benetton, the founder of Benetton clothing company, a worldwide fashion brand based in Ponzano Veneto, Italy.
In no time, Benetton and Briatore grew to become friends and eventually business partners after Benetton launched his first five stores in the United States. He then appointed Briatore director of his America group’s operations, and not long after, Flavio began to get extremely wealthy. By 1989, the chain experienced a brief boom in American popularity as Benetton had over 800 stores in the United States.
However, given his unorthodox method of franchising, other store owners began to complain about competition from his stores, so the number of his stores decreased from 800 to 200, causing Flavio to look for work elsewhere.
He Headed F1 Teams Such as Renault in the 2000s
In 1988, Benetton appointed Briatore as the commercial director of his Formula One Team, Benetton Formula Ltd. During his time as the director, Briatore was able to turn the team around and made it competitive, winning numerous awards and titles. The Benetton Formula One team was eventually acquired by Renault in 2002, with Flavio emerging as a managing director.
Meanwhile, in 1994, Briatore’s team came under serious cheating allegations resulting in a series of fines. In 2009, FIA officially suspended Flavio from F1 for his involvement in the 2018 crash gates scandal in Singapore. Being the team boss, Briatore was found guilty, alongside a few other members, of conspiring to manipulate race results.
The controversy of Flavio leaving F1 centered on an early crash that involved Nelson Piquet Jr.’s car during the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. He was exactly found guilty of race-fixing, ordering Nelson Piquet Jr to purposely crash his car to help teammate Alonso win the Singapore Grand Prix. Also, he was indefinitely banned from FIA-sanctioned events, stating that it would not renew any super license granted to all the drivers he managed.
On the heels of that, Flavio was barred from managing drivers who are part of any competition under the FIA’s authority. The FIA reportedly came down hard on Briatore because he denied his involvement despite alarming evidence. According to the British newspaper The Daily Mirror, Flavio Briatore’s ban is the harshest sanction that had ever been imposed on an individual in the history of motorsport.
In order to clear his name, Briatore sued the FIA in French courts and said that he was “distraught” at the FIA’s action. In January 2010, the tribunal overturned the ban and granted him a €15,000 in compensation. The FIA stated that it would appeal the court decision, and Flavio, in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, stated that he would not return to F1 even if his ban were lifted.
The ban was subsequently lifted in 2010, and Flavio stayed away from the sport for 12 years. He later returned in 2022 to help F1 with the commercial aspects of its operations.
He is Now the Owner of Several Nightclubs, Restaurants, and a Football Club
While going through a lot of experience in the business world, Flavio Briatore also built a diverse business interest for himself, away from Formula One. Many of these business interests revolve around fashion. While he was still employed, Flavio founded and ran some business enterprises, which include the Billionaire nightclub and another nightclub in Sardinia, which he created in 1998 and August 2012, respectively.
He also owns another Billionaire club in Marbella and Billionaire Italian Couture, an haute couture line. Moreover, Flavio, in 2014, launched Cipriani’s restaurant in Mayfair, London, a high-end Italian hotel and leisure company. Briatore owns 48.9% of the pharmaceutical company Pierre. He also manages Lion in the Sun, a holiday resort in Kenya, and a Tuscan beach club.
Among other things, the businessman is the beneficiary of Autumn Sailing Limited, a company that purchased the super yacht Force Blue from investor Roy Speer for £68.2m. In September 2007, Flavio officially bought the English Championship football club Queens Park Rangers (QPR) from a Monaco-based consortium. He completed his takeover of the club, where he serves as chairman, on 7th November 2007.
The investor’s achievements are highly observed in his various business empires, and his financial success can be followed by the fact that he is grossly and practically present in all of the businesses and firms he has ever been associated with.
What is Flavio Briatore’s Net Worth?
Flavio Briatore’s net worth is currently estimated at $400 million. Although there have been varying reports regarding the business mogul’s net worth, the fact remains that Flavio Briatore is worth hundreds of million dollars. While some sources have estimated his net worth at $450 million, a few others report it as $500 million.
Flavio Briatore made a major part of his wealth from his diverse business endeavors. He is a well-known investor, which has grossly contributed to his entire earnings. Flavior actually started building his wealth from the times he worked in a variety of industries.
Despite being on the wrong side of the law, Flavio Briatore is highly recognized as a dedicated man whose sole intent is the success of any business he gets his hand into. He has amassed a fortune over the years, and his net worth is evident in the kind of lifestyle he lives.
Why is Flavio Briatore in a wheelchair?
Flavio Briatore was once a wheelchair user. He underwent an operation in March 2022 on his Achilles tendon. Sometime in August 2020, Flavio was rushed to San Raffaele Hospital after he reportedly got into a “serious condition” suffering from complications from the coronavirus. His illness was said to have followed the shutdown of his billionaire club after a spate of positive coronavirus tests stemmed from the Porto Cervo hotspot.
Meanwhile, night clubs were generally considered to be promoting a second wave of coronavirus in Italy. The public got to see him in a wheelchair for the first time during his 72nd birthday in April 2022. Despite his health condition, Flavio celebrated his birthday and marked the occasion in Milan with his son and ex-wife, and ensured it was a standout moment of his recovery.
On a wheelchair, Briatore was pictured leaving the 5-star Hotel Principe di Savoia. A month before his birthday, the businessman had shared a photo of him on his hospital bed, crutches in tow and leg bandaged while he gave his followers an update on his health condition. He thanked the professors and the entire staff of the hospital for their professionalism and utmost care.
Flavio ultimately assured his fans that everything pertaining to the operation went well and that he would continue to work and stay active.
Flavio Briatore Shares a Son With Ex-Wife, Elisabetta Gregoraci
Flavio Briatore has been married and divorced once. He married an Italian fashion model and TV personality, Elisabetta Gregoraci, on 14th June 2018. The couple got married in a star-studded ceremony in the Santo Spirito in Sassia, Rome, and had their reception at the castle of Torcrescenza. Spanish racing driver Fernando Alonso was the driver of the bridal car.
In 2010, two years into their marriage, Elisabetta gave birth to their son in Nice, France. After nine years of being together, in 2017, news broke that Briatore and his wife Gregoraci have separated. However, there has since been no further reliable information regarding what led to their separation or if they have officially divorced.
But, it is public knowledge that Flavio Briatore and Elisabetta Gregoraci are no longer together as husband and wife. Nothing much is publicly known about the son they share except that he is currently 13 years old.
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