She confirmed her engagement to billionaire Doug Barrowman last Wednesday, with a sweet snap on Instagram.
And now Michelle Mone has spoken exclusively to MailOnline about his romantic Christmas Eve proposal and plans for their wedding, admitting she’s ‘scared’ about her upcoming hen party.
The Ultimo founder, 47 – who on Wednesday launched ‘Connect 2 Michelle Mone’, a free app for those seeking advice, guidance and inspiration – opened up about how Doug asked her to become his wife.
Exciting plans: Michelle Mone has spoken exclusively to MailOnline about his romantic Christmas Eve marriage proposal from billionaire Doug Barrowman and plans for their wedding
Michelle explained: ‘It was Christmas Eve. The night of Christmas Eve, and I was running around organising presents and everything else.
‘And then, Doug said he wanted to talk to me in the drawing room. The whole family were in the house, so he closed the double doors.
‘We were in front of the big Christmas tree and he said: “I want to tell you something,” and I went: “Oh no, what is it?” – I thought it was something bad that he wanted to tell me.
Fearing the worst, Michelle explained that her trepidation grew as he asked her to sit down on the sofa.
Looking ahead: The Ultimo founder, 47 – who on Wednesday launched ‘Connect 2 Michelle Mone’, a free app for those seeking advice, guidance and inspiration – opened up about how Doug asked her to become his wife
‘I sat down and he said: “I just want to tell you that I love you so, so much,” and I thought: “What else are you gonna tell me?”
‘He went, “Well, I want to ask you something?” and I thought: “Oh no, what is it?” and then he went down on one knee and asked me to marry him.’
‘I had my hand over my mouth and my face, and I was going: “Oh no, oh no, oh no,” until he said: “What’s your answer? Hurry up, you’ve not given me your answer.”‘
After finally composing herself, Michelle managed to give Doug her response.
She said: ‘”I’m sorry, yes of course. I’m just in complete shock.” And that was it.’
With no ring in his hand, Michelle explains that he pointed her to the ‘horrible’ Christmas card which he’d given her earlier on.
Opening up: Michelle revealed how the businessman proposed as they prepared to celebrate Christmas with their family
‘He got me a really romantic Christmas card, but he got me this other, really horrible one of an ape holding a beer.
‘He said: “You know the horrible Christmas card that you hate. Go and look behind the card,” and I looked behind it and there was a big box.
‘He said: “Lift the box and open it,” so I did and there was the most incredible ring. It was absolutely perfect. He knew my size was M after my name.’
Doug proposed with a sparkling eight carat diamond placed on a silver band surrounded by smaller diamonds.
Stunned: ‘I sat down and he said: “I just want to tell you that I love you so, so much,” and I thought: “What else are you gonna tell me?” she explained
Michelle revealed that none of their family members knew that the proposal was coming, saying: ‘No-one had a clue.
‘My daughter was in the house, so we went and told her, and then we told his dad who was in the house. And then we phoned my mum and dad and all of our other kids.’
The businesswoman admitted that wedding planning hasn’t begun, but that she has her eye on the pair marrying ‘at the end of this year’ at the earliest.
She said: ‘We need to plan it. Big, small, Scotland, London, abroad? Right now, both of us don’t have a clue. But we need to decide. There are no plans whatsoever.
‘It’s definitely going to be towards the end of this year, because we need time to plan. So it’ll definitely be at the end of this year, at least – maybe even the beginning of next year.’
Stunning: Doug proposed with a sparkling eight carat diamond placed on a silver band surrounded by smaller diamonds
And, as she looks forward to their big day, Michelle revealed that she’s terrified of what her hen party will entail.
The Ultimo founder said: ‘I think my friends will organise it, I’m actually scared. The majority of my friends are Irish and they’re mental. I’ll have to do on a detox after it.
‘My daughters will definitely be coming on the hen party though, definitely.’
And, regarding Doug’s stag-go, Michelle has a fairly laid-back approach, saying: ‘He can do whatever he likes, within reason.’
Nervous: As she looks forward to their big day, Michelle revealed that she’s terrified of what her hen party will entail
The blonde beauty opened up about the first time she met her beau, revealing that they ended up out in a London club until 4.30am.
‘We both invested in the same tech company. We met at a share holders dinner. I was only going along for a quick drink. I couldn’t be annoyed with anything that night.
‘I got talking to Doug and he convinced me to stay with them for dinner. I stayed for dinner and then the two of us, on a school night, ended up going to Tramp nightclub in London, which I’ve never been to in my life.
‘I’m into nightclubs at all. We stayed there until like 4.30 in the morning, and then he dropped me home. We met at 6.30, and we ended at 4.30, so ten hours of talking.
‘So after that we became friends. We were friends for a while before we actually went out.’
In safe hands: ‘I think my friends will organise it, I’m actually scared. The majority of my friends are Irish and they’re mental. I’ll have to do on a detox after it,’ she said
The successful pair, who came together through business, have much more in common that meets the eye, according to Michelle.
‘We’ve got so, so much in common. We’re both creatives, both entrepreneurs. I really look up to Doug as an entrepreneur. He teaches me a lot as well.
‘It’s no nice that we’ve got a lot in common. We have so much fun as well, and we love spending time with our families.’
‘Him growing up, me growing up in the same part of Glasgow. That whole culture thing brings us together.’
The pair share seven Children between them, and Michelle says that ‘hey all get along great. So it makes it all so much nicer.’
And despite constant travel, with speaking engagement all over the world, the bra mogul says that they don’t actually spend much time apart.
‘We tend to go away together. Doug is a very very busy guy. But if I’ve got a big speaking event in Singapore, for example, he’ll say: “Well why don’t we go together and spend a few days there.”
‘We’re very very rarely apart. It’s only sometimes during the week that we might be apart.’
Happy couple: Michelle and Doug will end the year as man and wife following his Christmas marriage proposal
Just a week after their engagement, the businesswoman launched her new app Connect 2 Michelle Mone, which is free to download.
She explained: ‘The app isn’t just for entrepreneurs. It’s for everyone who’s looking for motivation or inspiration. So you can be working for someone else, or be unemployed at the moment, or have a business, or you want to start a business.
‘The app is there to really help people and motivate people in different sections. It’s taken 14 months to make the app and create the videos, and hundreds of thousands of pounds of investment, that has not been government backed. It’s all been funded by myself.
‘And hopefully the app will grow and we can have events, and bring everyone together and it can be a real network for people.
‘I always have thousands of people asking for my help and it’s difficult to give one-on-one advice, so hopefully this app can help. There’s nothing really out there like this.’
Michelle revealed that if she could have given her younger self any business advice, it would have been to have more confidence.
She said: ‘I wish I wasn’t as nervous. I wish I wasn’t as scared. But you know, it’s those ingredients that make you hungry and make you determined.
‘I’m a lot more relaxed now than I’ve ever been and I suppose that’s down to being more mature and learning a lot about business, and real life experience. I’m an oldie now,’ she laughed.
