Gym boss Duncan Bannatyne has come under fire for splashing out on a lavish hol with his wife while thousands of his staff remain furloughed.
The Dragons’ Den star, 71, and Nigora, 40, spent a week visiting a string of glamorous and expensive hotspots.
The couple headed to Gibraltar, Marbella, Paris and finally Monte Carlo in seven days, taking a private jet for some of the trip.
During the jaunt they enjoyed two nights at a £750-a-night suite in Paris.
The trip came days after multi-millionaire Duncan complained his businesses closed during the pandemic were losing millions.
(Image: Instagram)
He said his gyms, hotels and restaurants were costing him £2.5million a month and he was forced to furlough 2,500 staff.
And he announced the permanent closure of a Bannatyne Health Club in London, adding seven more were at risk.
A source said: “I’m glad to see Duncan enjoying himself with his wife but there is a time and a place for this. To be openly seen living the high life while the country is locked in a pandemic and he has had to close some of his businesses is beyond belief.” The pair set off earlier this month, when they took a friend’s private jet to Gibraltar.
(Image: Instagram)
On the same day they posted on Instagram: “It’s our anniversary.”
After a week of fine dining with pals and a trip on a luxury yacht they jetted off to Monaco, where they ate at Cipriani restaurant in Monte Carlo and indulged in shopping sprees at designer stores before heading home to Portugal.
A spokesman denied the trip was lavish, and said they had hitched a ride on a pal’s private jet and boat and stayed in their own apartment in Monaco.
(Image: MDM)
They added: “Duncan has taken no remuneration or expenses from his company in 2020. He has given the company a £5m loan and waived his right to a £6m dividend.
“He has worked hard and invested substantial sums to ensure his health club business can survive the pandemic and will deliver a great experience to its members.”
Duncan previously hit out at
celebrities such as Richard Branson who used taxpayers’ money to bail out businesses.