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HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE...FOUR TIMES!(Daily Mail Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)THERE could scarcely be a more idyllic picture. Long blonde hair, diamond earrings, the beautiful bride lounges happily with her handsome new husband aboard a little boat off the crystal waters of Barbados. Still only 49, Sue Sangster last week married her fourth millionaire, 61-year-old property developer Stuart Crossley, in a notably low-key ceremony in her local church on the island she calls home. It is as though this timeless figure on the social circuit has managed to swop husbands almost as easily as the fashionable clothes - the short skirts and high heels - that she wears so well. And though mega-rich racehorse owner Robert Sangster was the best known of her husbands, each one has lavished her with the riches she always dreamed of. In Barbados her home is a GBP1million house, The Dream, situated smack bang on the exclusive waterfront. Her days revolve round golfing in 'good-looking shorts' according to one local, cocktails at the luxurious Sandy Lane hotel and dinners at the GBP100a-head Cliff restaurant, with its twinkling fairy lights, where she held her latest wedding reception. She is easy in the company of the Irish horseracing set, for whom Sandy Lane is a second home, and is keeping one eye on the impending sale of Robert Sangster's incredible GBP23million mansion Jane's Harbour - weekly rental a staggering GBP25,000 - where Hugh Grant and Jemima Khan have recently been staying. But who exactly is Susan Sangster? Amateur observers of her circle are easily confused because her irrepressible last husband Robert had two wives called Susan - the first a bouncy Australian usually known for ease of reference as 'the Sheila'. The second Sue is homebred here in Britain. And her story is one of ambition, tenacity and terrible tragedy - but which, despite its eventfulness, is little known. Born Susan Dean, her early years were spent on the Isle of Man. Daughter of a wealthy timber merchant, whose brother was chairman of the Isle of Man bank, Susan never wanted for anything - yet by the standards of things to come there was little glamour to be had on the draughty island known for its tax exiles, kippers and TT circuit. Its locals, somewhat less than fondly, describe it as '70,000 alcoholics, clinging to a rock.' However, as we shall see, few places could have been as useful a starting point for a woman destined to marry four millionaires. Brought up in a detached house where her mother ran a nursery school, at the age of ten she was sent to board at the local Buchan school. Goodlooking, leggy and slim she set her heart on becoming a model and eventually moved to London to learn about the business. Then, on a trip back home she met her first husband. In those days Manx teenagers used to hang out at pubs on the waterfront. Sue was very much one of the gang according to a contemporary. She liked to drink and play the field and was enchanted when she met Kevin Nicholson. The Nicholsons, who helped found the Kwik Save supermarket chain, lived in a GBP1million country mansion outside Douglas and owned prime property all over the island. 'She may have come from a relatively wealthy background,' says one who grew up with her, 'But she was always going to have to work for a living unless she set her sights high.' Even so, locals were astounded when, in the early Seventies at the age of 18, she wed Kevin in a low-key ceremony against the advice of both sets of parents. In those days her husband was the black sheep of the family. While he is now a reformed character, he was known then for his habit of hiring planes and jetting off to Paris on impulsive pleasure trips. He was finally ousted from the board of the family business because of several bouts of drunkenness. The marriage fell apart after just 18 months. Soon Sue had joined a Liverpool modelling agency in an attempt to revive her modelling career. 'She was elegant, stunning and beautiful and would have made it right to the top as a model,' said photographer Adrian Hughes who took the pictures for her portfolio. Then, on a trip back home to the Isle of Man, she met tax exile, Peter Lilley, heir to the Lilley and Skinner shoe fortune - and once more forgot all about modelling. By the time Sue was 22 she had married Peter. And when the couple had a daughter, Melissa, their happiness should have been complete. Instead, it was later dashed when a second, premature baby, died. Sue had scarcely recovered from that trauma than, in one of the most memorable social scandals of a generation, she found herself being pursued by another legendary Manx tax exile, Robert Sangster, then 48 and 20 years older than her, whose huge fortune derived from Vernon's pools. In his heyday Sangster, who died in 2004, aged 67, was the world's largest investor in bloodstock. Having shed his longsuffering first wife Christine in 1975, he married 'the Sheila'. She was a talkative blonde who had been married to one of Australia's top politicians, with a habit of dancing on tables when her husband's horses won. Alas for her the partnership did not thrive. In 1982 Sangster famously comforted the 26-year-old Jerry Hall, while Mick Jagger was carousing with Italian supermodel Carla Bruni. Despite his efforts, Jerry went back to Mick and the Sheila went back to Australia, so Sangster - still a fixture on the Isle of Man - started looking around again. During 1984, the larger-than-life tycoon joined the Lilleys at a wedding reception in Douglas. Soon he had zeroed in on Lilley's leggy wife with the result that the newly bereaved couple embarked on a memorable marital row. Peter stormed out of the party and Susan didn't go home. Instead she took off in Sangster's private jet, first to London and then on a world trip. The glamorous lovers watched his horses run in California and ended up in Barbados. By the time Sue had returned to the Isle of Man she had not seen her daughter for six weeks. The ensuing divorces were the talk of two continents. Down Under, Susan One was outraged to learn that Susan Two had moved her things in to Sangster's 50-room, castellated mansion, the Nunnery - as his island home was ironically called. Sangster was mad about Susan Two. Despite her ice-cool looks, she was, by all accounts, spirited company. On one trip to Ireland with her new fiance she won a beer drinking contest in Tipperary against more than 600 rivals including the Irish rugby team, memorably downing a pint in a record breaking four seconds. In 1985, Sue Lilley became the second Susan Sangster in an Isle of Man register office, followed by a champagne toast in the local pub called The Dog's Home. The couple then went on honeymoon to Deauville to watch the racing, taking five-year-old Melissa with them. With what was to become her longest-lasting marriage, Susan had hit the jackpot. Now mistress of the Nunnery, with its 80 acres of farmland and private chapel, she lived in a fivestar hotel while in London . Sangster gave her a part share in one of his best horses, Drumlargan. And with a husband worth more than GBP100 million, Sue ditched all ambitions to become a model. Indeed, when some old modelling photographs taken by her former collaborator Adrian Hughes appeared in a newspaper she was suitably outraged and demanded GBP200,000 compensation. And despite the whirl of Sangster's extraordinary social schedule she still looked as good as ever. 'She is always immaculate. It is quite infuriating,' says one who knows her. And early on, Susan set the rules with Sangster. When she made it plain she did not know how to cook, Robert bought her the Isle of Man's best restaurant to eat in. For Robert's 50th birthday celebrations songster Paul Anka and his 26-piece orchestra were flown from America over to play at the party. Sue wore a red and white Zandra Rhodes dress, pink champagne flowed and the band of the Royal Marines marched, followed by a firework display in the small hours. The astonishing bash did not end till 7.45am. Despite the partying, she somehow found time to become a mother again, giving Robert two sons to add to the three boys and a girl he had by his first marriage. And what astounded everyone was the ease with which she got her figure back. Fashion designer Bruce Oldfield remembers her ringing up to ask for an evening dress that she would need in three weeks' time, after she'd had a baby. When he asked what size she would need, she replied 'Make it an eight.' 'Don't be ridiculous,' Oldfield said. 'You'll never get into an eight three weeks after having a baby.' Oldfield was wrong. Within seven days the amazing Susan was svelte as ever and took a helicopter to Epsom to watch one of her husband's horses run. It was the same story when her second son was born. Only three weeks later she was the stick-thin hit of her stepson's wedding. Things were even more amazing behind the scenes. Back home on the Isle of Man, Sue had a huge walk-in wardrobe with mirrors all around so she could see her designer clothes at a single glance. Her drawing room was hung with chintz swags and lined with priceless impressionist paintings. There was a unique collection of Lowrys and, in pride of place, Sangster's many racing trophies. It was all so lavish that even her husband seemed to find it exhausting. Soon after the famous 50th bash she gave up big parties in favour of small catered evenings. All Sue had to do was slip into one of her many frocks and sip champagne out of Baccarat crystal - and this she did brilliantly. 'At least there is something I am good at,' she said coyly. Even during the Sangster marriage, Susan had the power to turn heads. One admirer was singer Chris de Burgh, her son's godfather, who in 1988 dedicated his song Suddenly Love to her, saying: 'I felt it must have been the way Robert felt about Sue when he met her.' The marriage was still going well in 1993 when Sangster decided to leave the tax-friendly Isle of Man. It made not a jot of difference to their glamorous lifestyle and the couple were spending most of their time in Los Angeles and Barbados, where Sangster liked to take part in the annual golf tournament sponsored by rival racing owner Sheik Maktoum. Sue, meanwhile, remained haunted by memories of her lost child and organised charity parties with the Duchess of York in aid of research into premature birth. On their occasional visits to London the couple now lived in a huge house - complete with swimming pool - which was decorated by society designer Nina Campbell. Their children Sam and Max went to prep shool with the Royal Princes, and then on to Harrow. Sue - still looking the picture of perfection - dressed her sons in her husband's green and blue racing colours. They spent summer holidays in the South of France and, when they were not flying on Sangster's private jet, they always travelled first class. Yet despite the endless luxuries the marriage was grinding to a halt. By now Sangster's roving eye started alighting on the contemporaries of his older sons - including 30-year-old banking heiress Samantha Baring who was married to one of his jockeys. He was forever being linked by the newspapers to a new filly, and Susan eventually decided she'd had enough and walked out. In 2000 the Sangsters were divorced and Susan, GBP16 million richer after the settlement, was on the market again. She had her own Barbados based charity in aid of local children and was throwing herself into fundraising auctions with Michael Winner acting as auctioneer. She remained close to her ex-husband, but since his death in 2004 - his ashes were sprinkled over the Sandy Lane golf course - she has had several new admirers, including Dutch-born businessman Johan Beck. Then last year she introduced her circle to rugged polo entrepreneur Jonathan Ingram. Soon he had soon moved into Susan's Chelsea home and she even took him to a Chris de Burgh concert. But the relationship did not last. 'Not enough noughts,' says one who knows her and the habits of the very rich. Last March, as she toyed with the idea of selling her GBP6.25million Eaton Square flat, she seemed all set for a change of life. Then she was introduced to Australian born lawyerturnedproperty-developer Stuart Crossley, who had just added a Chelsea pub to his many lucrative assets. Owner of a splendid Buckinghamshire farmhouse, handsome Crossley - whose new property business is valued at nearly GBP 23million - made a GBP15million personal fortune in 1998 when he sold his last company, rocketing him into Susan Sangster's league. Even so, as recently as December, as she prepared to spend Christmas in Barbados together with her new lover, her three children, his own brood of four and his 92-year-old mother, she was denying she was going to marry him. Then last week they went ahead with such a quiet ceremony in the local church that none of the island's most prominent social arbiters were invited. 'It's most extraordinary. It must be love,' says one drily. |