Dunhill heir loses sparkle after gems pal vanishes

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He was a jeweller known for driving a Ferrari and once famously adorned Holly Willoughby with a £500,000 diamond necklace on the television show ‘This Morning’.

Following the dramatic downfall of Vashi Dominguez’s once-thriving business, which was recently investigated by BBC Panorama, it’s come to light that the tycoon’s connections have caused hardship for more than just the investors who’ve lost a collective £170 million.

As a lifestyle expert, I’ve seen fortunes rise and fall, and the story of Piers Dunhill is a prime example. Just three months before his jewelry company faced closure in 2023, I remember seeing him photographed with Dominguez in New York – a stark contrast to the business troubles he was soon to experience with his firm, Dunhill Ventures. It just goes to show, even those who seem to have it all can face unexpected setbacks.

Almost all of the firm’s key leaders – nine out of eleven – have left the company as of 2023. Several have removed any connection to Dunhill Ventures from their LinkedIn profiles, and some have even deleted their LinkedIn accounts altogether.

Thirty-one-year-old Dunhill didn’t respond to questions about this, nor would he say if he’d assist the Serious Fraud Office should they investigate Dominguez. Dominguez had recently launched a high-end ‘concept store’ in London’s Covent Garden and mentioned plans to open 200 similar stores globally ‘soon’.

An investigation by Panorama uncovered that Dominguez had directed staff to pretend to be customers, making it appear as though the business was successful. This was done to reassure investors like Phones 4u billionaire John Caudwell. However, by April 2023, the company had failed and Dominguez disappeared shortly after.

Caudwell later revealed he had invested £1 million, and two other prominent investors contributed £10 million and £15 million, respectively.

I previously revealed that Dunhill had joined promotional events with Renato Brioni, formerly known as Renato Libric. Libric was convicted of wire fraud in 2018 and sentenced to three years in prison, as well as ordered to repay over £1.14 million.

Dunhill recently updated the information about one of his ancestors listed on the company website. The ancestor in question is either his great-grandfather or, according to some family trees, his great-great-grandfather.

This brand was formerly known as ‘Sir Alfred Dunhill,’ but has been updated to simply ‘Alfred Dunhill.’ This change is a bit odd, considering Alfred Dunhill, the founder, was never actually a knight.

 

The bare cheek! Nat and Laura’s cancer warning

In the 2011 movie The Inbetweeners Movie, Alison famously went swimming naked in Greece with Will, who was hopelessly trying to impress her.

Laura Haddock is featured topless on a beach once more, this time alongside Sky Sports presenter Natalie Pinkham, and the location is England.

Natalie, 48, and Laura, 40, participated in a breast cancer awareness campaign run by Women In Art, posing together with a playful illustration to maintain their privacy.

Natalie shared on social media that in the UK, someone receives a breast cancer diagnosis every ten minutes, but surprisingly, nearly half of British women don’t make regular self-checks.

‘Guard your life, check your boobs.’

She jokingly mentioned they might reconsider shooting a photoshoot on a UK beach in late October next time, likely due to the weather.

 

Princess Alexandra, a first cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth, is 88 years old and, surprisingly, doesn’t enjoy having her picture taken. Photographer Hugo Burnand, who recently shot the official portraits for the King’s Coronation, shared on his podcast that the Princess is also self-conscious about her smile. While she may not believe she’s photogenic, Burnand insists she’s actually one of the most beautiful people he’s ever photographed, and her smile is wonderful.

 

Simon Armitage, the Poet Laureate, wrote a poem celebrating the 50th anniversary of Pink Floyd’s ‘Wish You Were Here.’ It unexpectedly sparked a debate – a sort of ‘us versus them’ – between fans of poetry and music.

Opera director Sir David Pountney, 78, believes a line in Richard Armitage’s new release, Dear Pink Floyd, is unnecessarily harsh. He calls the line – ‘You killed classical music with one stroke, good riddance’ – ‘mean-spirited’ and suggests Armitage, 62, revise it, as it detracts from what he otherwise considers a wonderful tribute.

 

He directed the popular zombie comedy Shaun of the Dead, and remarkably, convinced a cinema manager to let him watch a film at the age of nine.

Edgar Wright, known for his love of horror – even films like Gremlins – admits there’s a point when Halloween gets too much. He remembers when living in Los Angeles, the celebration stretched on for days. But his biggest complaint? That in LA, Halloween seems to last for three whole months!

‘It starts at the end of August – it’s ridiculous.’

 

Bubbly Penny’s royal toast

She held the 8lb Sword of State up for 51 minutes at the King’s Coronation.

But Penny Mordaunt’s dedication to her role as Lord President of the Council went even further.

Dame Penny, age 52, recently discussed her new book, ‘Pomp & Circumstance,’ co-written with PR executive Chris Lewis. She shared that she personally cared for attendees at the May 2023 event held at Westminster Abbey, explaining she anticipated some guests would have no other commitments and she prepared accordingly.

After the event, Parliament generously provided a large quantity of champagne, which they offered to anyone without immediate plans, inviting them to join a toast to the King. We immediately celebrated with a toast following the ceremony.

 

Making murder dead chic

Sienna Miller and Jazzy de Lisser celebrated Halloween with seriously stylish costumes – so good, they were almost scary!

Sienna, 43, and Jazzy, 34, celebrated the one-year anniversary of their fashion brand, DeBute, with a stylish murder-mystery party held at The Penthouse at The London Edition hotel, near Oxford Street.

That evening, London’s fashionable elite came dressed as playful versions of iconic fashion figures.

Jazzy and her half-sister, Lady Lola Bute, started a company called DeBute last year with the goal of celebrating the bond between sisters.

 
  • Edited by Harry Dougherty

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2025-10-31 02:19