Michelle Mone, 49, purchases £80k horse as a second wedding gift to Doug Barrowman, 55

Michelle Mone revealed she’s purchased a horse worth £80,000 as a second wedding gift to her new husband Doug Barrowman.

The entrepreneur, 49, took to Instagram on Monday to introduce the ‘newest member of our family’ following her ceremony with the billionaire, 55, on the Isle of Man over the weekend after lockdown forced her to delay the ceremony three times

Businesswoman Michelle – who didn’t disclose what her first treat for her new spouse was – wrote: ‘Introducing the newest member of our family, Monbeg Genius. This gorgeous horse was a second wedding gift for my husband, Doug.

‘We are delighted with him.  I want to say the warmest of thank-yous to the legendary @jonjooneillracing, his wife Jacquie and his son AJ for guiding us through this process. 

‘Jonjo is an amazingly charming man who was patient throughout, whilst his son, as demonstrated in the video, is a very talented jockey too!

‘We are so excited about Monbeg Genius being a part of the family, and we are looking forward to him starring in tartan in the weeks to come!’

In her posts, the animal was cuddled by Cotswolds-based trainer Jonjo O’Neill and his son AJ.

Monbeg finished in second place during a point-to-point race at Castletown Geoghegan in October. According to Goffs UK, the horse from Ireland is worth nearly £100,000.

Michelle and Doug exchanged vows at Peel Cathedral on the Isle of Man on Saturday, with the parliamentarian unveiling her breathtakingly elegant gown in recent snaps shared to her social media account.

The blonde looked delighted as she joined the Knox Group founder for a stunning photo straight after their nuptials where they stood outside their wedding chapel. 

Michelle captioned the picture: ‘Thanks so much to everyone on The Isle of Man for making our day so special. You pulled the best wedding together …90 people in less than 2 weeks.  

‘Only downside is that our family & friends couldn’t be there who live outside IOM. 

‘A special thanks to The Cathedral at Peel, The Abbey Restaurant, The Abbey wedding planners, Alexandra the Opera singer and the 5 live bands for a superb wedding weekend. Love MB #isleofman.

The COVID-19 pandemic had forced Michelle to postpone her wedding date three times.  

While much of the UK has been plunging into the upper tiers of highly restrictive governmental guidelines, the Isle of Man comfortably sits in the enviable tier one. 

On the Isle of Man there have been 366 confirmed COVID-19 cases since March, with nine active cases at the moment and one person in hospital. 

 

Restrictions have also been lifted on people’s lives due to the low rate.

The government’s website says: ‘Any legal requirements for social distancing and all restrictions on indoor and outdoor gatherings have now been removed. This has been possible due to the commitment of the Manx public.

‘Meeting friends and family is a really important way of helping to look after our mental wellbeing and keeping in touch.

‘When meeting people from outside your household, that is, people you don’t currently live with, you no longer have to keep a 2 metre distance; however it is advised to still practise basic hygiene measures, including regularly washing your hands and coughing or sneezing into your elbow.’

The newlyweds’ road to the altar has been quite the bumpy journey, with the couple postponing their nuptials to keep in line with COVID-19 restrictions. 

Taking to Instagram in September, Michelle shared an image of herself with Doug as she made the announcement.

She wrote: ‘With the announcement of new COVID restrictions in the UK, we’ve come to the difficult decision to cancel our wedding for the 3rd time.

‘It’s a little bit frustrating that you can walk into a restaurant and have dinner surrounded by a room full of people, but you can’t have more than 15 attendees at a wedding – including myself, Doug and the Bishop, violinist, photographer etc.

‘We couldn’t possibly choose between which family members to invite never mind friends. We might just get married with no guests present.

‘I understand that there is a greater concern at the heart of all of this, but considering it’s the 3rd time we’ve had to cancel, it’s difficult not to feel a little bit gutted. That said, there’s a key learning to take from the situation.

‘Be grateful for what you do have; don’t dwell on what you don’t – or can’t – have. Things can change in an instant and there are too many blessings in each of our lives to spend each day wishing time away! Stay safe, everyone x.’ 

The businesswoman, who was initially set to marry her love in early spring, shared another glam snap of herself on Instagram in August – on what would have been her rescheduled wedding date.

Captioning the selfie, which showed her standing before a waterfront setting, she said: ‘Today was meant to be the day Doug and I got married.

‘It’s the second time we’ve had to postpone our special day, but we’ve set a date and are more excited than ever. #ThirdTimeLucky ❤️.’

Following government guidelines amid the novel coronavirus lockdown, Michelle explained back in March that she didn’t want to risk the health of her guests and older family members at the large gathering.

The ‘disappointed’ company owner said in a statement: ‘Doug and I were very much looking forward to getting married in the coming weeks but are equally aware of the need to avoid undertaking any unnecessary risks in the current circumstances. 

‘We are particularly conscious of government advice in relation to both the well-being of older family members and large gatherings of people.

‘So in line with that advice for the UK and beyond we are postponing our wedding and have set a new date. 

‘It’s been two years in the planning and of course we’re disappointed but safety comes first.’

She added: ‘I feel for everyone who is in the same situation and hope that they, like us, will be looking forward to a celebration in the future.’

The star was set to marry Doug in the 13th century Chapel of St Mary Undercroft in the heart of London’s Palace of Westminster, otherwise known as ‘the House of Lords church’. 

Michelle announced her engagement in December 2018 after Doug romantically proposed with a stunning eight carat diamond ring at their London home.  

She exclusively told MailOnline in January that she was four weeks away from her wedding target weight and shared details of her then upcoming nuptials.

Michelle has candidly been keeping her Instagram followers updated with her weight loss journey, revealing in November that she was at her ‘target weight’ after losing 11lbs and slimming down to a svelte size 10. 

‘I think everyone has a target for themselves. It has been a journey for me, it has taken me many years to lose, what will almost be, seven-and-a-half stone. It has not been quick, it has been long, I have learnt so much along the way.’

Michelle added: ‘It has been a long journey but I think for the first time in the last six months, I feel amazing, I do not feel my age at all, I feel ten years younger! If you put the work in, then you get the results. It’s not easy! I hope I keep it up.’ 

Michelle, who spoke to MailOnline after jetting back from an idyllic Christmas break sailing around the Caribbean, said: ‘It’s all very exciting, there is so much to do. 

‘Luckily, we have got an incredible company doing the wedding and they are used to doing weddings like this. They have been superb so far. 

‘They have just told me “All you need to do, is turn up”. I kind of want to know all the details, so I drive them nuts a little bit, but they say, “Look, everything is fine, everything is OK, you don’t need to worry, that’s why you’ve got us!”.’

Michelle sweetly added: ‘So yeah, I am just looking forward to spending an incredible weekend with family and friends. It will be very special and as long as they have an absolute blast, it will be a great wedding.’ 

However, despite sharing details of her wedding plans, the media personality revealed that her postponed nuptials won’t be covered in magazines as she’s ‘quite private’. 

Talking further about her weight loss journey, Michelle revealed that she follows her own 29 diet rules which is a pescatarian diet with lots of legumes and vegetables as meat leaves her feeling ‘bloated and lethargic’.  

Michelle said: ‘I’m not a nutritionist or a fitness instructor but I know my stuff now – what is good to eat, bad to eat, type of exercise and my exercise can be free. I do go out and walk a lot. I don’t have a trainer all the time!  

‘I have fun as well but I know when to quit and when to buckle down. I know how to maintain it, which is the hardest thing.’ 

She added: ‘I’ve got these new 29 steps that I do. You know, it does work for me, some nutritionist out there might think “Well, that’s not good” but I have studied a lot.’