She made a name for herself due to her super-glam lifestyle and love of bling on The Real Housewives Of Cheshire, and now Ampika Pickston has found love with a man 33 years her senior.
Ampika is engaged to billionaire West Ham United owner, David Sullivan, 75, a Welsh business mogul and former pornographer, who once owned half the UK’s adult entertainment industry. It’s said he proposed on her 40th birthday, with an 11½ carat, emerald-cut engagement ring, and a source close to the pair revealed Ampika “said yes straightaway”.
And fellow Real Housewives star Ester Dee, who has been friends with Ampika since they met on the show in 2017, says her “funny and hard-working” pal couldn’t be happier after meeting The One.
“I’m so delighted for Ampika, she deserves to be happy,” Ester told Closer in 2022.
“I know people will judge the age gap and believe she’s after his money, but she isn’t hurting anyone with her actions. He seems like a really nice guy.
“Like me, Ampika’s been criticised for going after someone with a certain amount of cash. But in our circle, if you meet a young man, we start questioning, ‘Are they with me for the fame, or because I have more money?’ I think if you can find a match in a partner and know they aren’t after those things, you can relax a little bit more and stop questioning your relationship.”
Ampika, who runs a beauty salon and has her own £3million fortune, was previously married to billionaire businessman Mark Pickston, with whom she shares son Jake, 14. She began dating David following his split with his partner of 25 years, Eve Vorley – an ex-porn star and a co-chairman at West Ham. The couple raised their two sons – David and Jack – at their £7.5 million mansion in Essex.
Now Ester says that despite the age difference, Ampika and her new man – who she’s thought to have known for a decade – have bonded over their intelligence, as well as their love of business and travel.
And she adds that she’s with him for the hot sex – not the money.
“Yes, money makes your life easier, but it doesn’t make you happy or make you stay with someone,” she says. “Ampika is a big personality and if David was boring, she wouldn’t stick around – and she definitely wouldn’t be considering marriage either.
“She’s been mostly single for many years, so he must charm her and be interesting. Older men can be great company, intelligent, and they like to travel. That aside, she’s probably having hot sex. It’s a myth that older men can’t please you, and Ampika is very adventurous.
“I strongly believe if Ampika wasn’t satisfied in the bedroom, she wouldn’t be going into marriage. She has been waiting for the right person.”
Ester says both women share a love of “diamonds and pearls – everything sparkly!” She adds that Ampika and David share enjoy “luxury living” too, saying, “Ampika has been travelling to and from London in a Rolls-Royce.”
So, how will the lovebirds celebrate their marriage? Ester predicts that Ampika and David will say I do “at the beach, somewhere luxurious like St Barts or the Maldives”.
She adds, “Ampika loves the beach and sunbathing, so I don’t think they’ll have a lavish UK wedding, but I think it will be luxurious. She’ll definitely wear a big wedding dress and a crown!”
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