David Ginola’s ex-wife sued by divorce lawyers ‘for failing to settle bill’

Footballer David Ginola’s model ex-wife has been sued by divorce lawyers after she failed to settle her bill, a court heard.

Farrer and Co, which also represents the Royal family, has attempted to recover £174,071 from Coraline Ginola in unpaid fees from her costly divorce from the French star.

The couple married in 1991 and raised two children while her ex-husband followed his career, which included spells at Tottenham, Newcastle, Paris St-Germain and France.

He won the League Cup with Spurs in 1999 and clocked up 17 international caps, before a new career as a pundit and actor, as well as appearing on 2021’s “I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here”.

The couple split in 2016 after 25 years of marriage, with Farrer and Co representing her during a divorce which was settled in France in 2020.

She is believed to have secured the family’s mansion on the French Riviera as part of the settlement package, which was just one of three plush properties the couple owned.

But at the High Court, the firm claimed that, despite being hit with repeated invoices, she only paid out £211,948 towards a bill approaching £400,000.

The firm sued for breach of their retainer and the case reached court last week when a judge gave a “default judgment” against her in light of her failure to file a defence or respond to the court claim.

After a short hearing the judge, Master Lisa Sullivan, concluded: “I’m satisfied that this is a claim in which the requirements for a default judgment are made out.”

On top of ordering her to cough up her unpaid bill, now £250,785 with interest, the judge directed she should pay out £50,000 towards Farrer’s own court fees – a total of about £300,000.

Farrer’s barrister, Jonathan Warboys, said the law firm had made repeated efforts to track down Ms Ginola and given her notice of the looming case against her.

He said the judge was entitled to hear the case in her absence given her apparent failure to cooperate or respond, and her failure to file a defence to Farrer’s claim.

‘No request for adjournment’

“The defendant has been served with the claim form, particulars of claim and notified of the hearing,” the barrister explained.

“Despite communications being sent to multiple addresses from which Farrer has communicated with her previously, she has not taken part nor requested an adjournment.”

Coraline Ginola was a fashion model when she met and married the footballer, starting their life together in St Tropez, before his move to the Premiership in 1995.

He was part of Kevin Keegan’s Newcastle team, nicknamed “The Entertainers” for their swashbuckling style, before moving to Tottenham, Aston Villa and Everton.

In 2016, he had a heart attack while playing in a charity football match in France and needed urgent CPR from Frédéric Mendy, another player.

Since then, he has been an ambassador for the British Heart Foundation and a staunch campaigner for CPR training.