Furious builder who helped repair Australian style clothier Donna Ida Thornton’s rural Devonshire mansion claims the ‘jean queen’ became woman of the manor nonetheless owes his building company £273,000

She has boasted that residing in her lusciously renovated nation manor ‘in the English countryside is a dream come true for me’.

But existence hasn’t been so candy for a builder who helped repair Australian style clothier Donna Ida Thornton’s rural bolthole.

Ms Thornton’s designs are a favorite of the Princess of Wales in addition to celebrities akin to Amanda Holden, and she or he has instructed how her denim empire enabled her to develop into woman of the manor.

But greater than a yr after a courtroom ordered Ms Thornton’s corporate to pay Keith Elliott £273,000 over his building company’s unpaid invoices for its paintings to assist create a boutique lodge and residing area for the clothier, the daddy of 2 says he’s but to obtain a penny.

And only a month after the April 2024 courtroom judgment, Langdon Court Manor Ltd used to be liquidated with money owed of round £3 million – that means Mr Elliott is not going ever to obtain the rest.

Documents lodged with Companies House display the majority of the cash owed by way of the corporate is to millionaire Ms Thornton, nonetheless indexed as a director of the trade, or her restaurateur husband Robert Walton – who resigned as a director 15 months in the past – or different corporations they keep an eye on.

Since the Daily Mail first published the dispute between the builder and clothier in March 2024, Ms Thornton and her husband have featured in a shiny photoshoot on the Grade II-listed Jacobean mansion. The 16-bed assets Langdon Court used to be no longer some of the corporate’s belongings and continues to be owned by way of the couple.

Pictured: Australian style clothier Donna Ida Thornton. Ms Thornton’s designs are a favorite of the Princess of Wales in addition to celebrities akin to Amanda Holden, and she or he has instructed how her denim empire enabled her to develop into woman of the manor

Pictured: Ms Thornton’s Grade II-listed 16-bedroom Jacobean mansion Langdon Court. Ms Thornton filed to liquidate Langdon Court Manor Ltd closing May

The Hello! piece, revealed closing June, gave the impression weeks after the clothier filed an ‘extraordinary resolution’ to finally end up the trade. In the gushing article, which tells how the couple’s canines have their very own condominium, dubbed the ‘chihuahua stables’, Ms Thornton mentioned: ‘Living in the English countryside is a dream come true for me. It’s stunning; I find it irresistible right here.’

The Hello! shoot noticed Ms Thornton, 51, and her 69-year-old husband – president of the Restaurant Association – posing in certainly one of Langdon Court’s newly-renovated rooms in entrance of a wall that includes a print that reads ‘I’m no longer sorry’.

But Mr Elliott, 43, and different contractors overlooked of pocket don’t see the humorous facet. He mentioned: ‘That picture is just two fingers up to me and everybody who hasn’t been paid. It’s conventional of Donna’s behaviour, very conceited and fully uncaring about any person else. She’s gloating that she’s necessarily were given away with out paying.

‘It says everything about this case that the room they’re posing in used to be one we finished for her, that she didn’t pay for and the courtroom awarded us the entire contract worth. When you spot them residing the top existence with the pieces you purchased them, it does make me offended and annoyed.’

Mr Elliott, of Hunsdon, Devon, mentioned there have been no photos at the wall when he completed running on the assets in December 2022.

Mr Elliott (pictured) mentioned his struggle with Ms Thornton and her husband Robert Walton has price him £600,000 together with the unpaid judgment, prison charges and the handfuls of hours he and associates have spent combating the case

Since the Daily Mail first published the dispute between the builder and clothier in March 2024, Ms Thornton, 51, and Mr Walton, 69 (each pictured) featured in a shiny photoshoot on the Grade II-listed Jacobean mansion closing June

The Hello! shoot noticed Ms Thornton, 51, and her 69-year-old husband – president of the Restaurant Association – posing in certainly one of Langdon Court’s newly-renovated rooms in entrance of a wall that includes a print that reads ‘I’m no longer sorry’ (Pictured: Ms Thornton in 2017)

He mentioned his struggle with the couple has price him £600,000 together with the unpaid judgment, prison charges and the handfuls of hours he and associates have spent combating the case.

He recognizes the probabilities of him ever seeing the money are ‘slim’ however he stays made up our minds to pursue the debt. The builder, who employs seven body of workers and as much as 70 sub-contractors, mentioned he used to be not ready to construct his personal circle of relatives house as deliberate.

Ms Thornton filed to liquidate Langdon Court Manor Ltd closing May. It is the 3rd corporate of Ms Thornton’s to be dissolved – two earlier ones collapsed allegedly owing masses of 1000’s to collectors. Mr Walton has additionally had two hospitality companies fall into liquidation. The couple purchased the valuables, a lodge that had fallen into management along two cottages, in 2021 for £1,050,000, and renovations started the next yr.

Ms Thornton’s publicist declined to remark as opposed to to indicate Mr Elliott used to be paid for a substantial a part of the paintings undertaken.