Partner Battles Estranged Wife for Share of TV Producer's Estate

A TV producer's partner who was left nothing in his will has commenced High Court proceedings seeking financial provision from his estate.

The producer passed away in 2019, at the age of 58. He had been in a long-term relationship with his partner and had had two children with her. However, his will, which was made in 2013, left everything to his estranged wife.

His partner brought a claim for reasonable financial provision from his estate under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975. She is seeking £1.6 million to cover her and the children's housing needs, as well as sufficient funds to generate an income of about £9,500 a month. She claimed that the producer and his wife were in the process of getting divorced when he died, and that his will did not reflect his testamentary wishes because it was made before the children were born and several years before he had asked her to marry him. However, his widow said that the will expressly stated that she would inherit his estate even if they divorced.

The Court heard that the producer's estate, including a townhouse in Chelsea, a stately home in Kent and a villa in France, had a gross value of £29 million, but this was reduced to £7.1 million after tax and expenses were accounted for. His widow claims that, after further debts and administration expenses, only £320,000 remains to be distributed from the estate.

His widow told the Court that his partner had received £90,000 from the estate and had been provided with rent-free accommodation at his home in Kent before it was sold. Payments of about £2 million had also been arranged to ensure that all three of his children were well provided for.

The judge noted that the producer had had 'a very affluent lifestyle' and had owned a Ferrari and a valuable wine collection, which hinted at 'significant wealth behind that'.