'I haven't fallen in love… but I have got an interest': Phones 4U billionaire John Caudwell's ex-girlfriend reveals she is slowly moving on from him... and has a 'friendship' with a hotel owner from Bosnia

When former model Claire Johnson broke up with Phones4U billionaire John Caudwell 20 months ago, she proved that she was neither a gold digger nor a trophy girlfriend.

Instead of taking legal action against the self-made man, who introduced the mobile phone to Britain, for a share of his fortune – or indulging in a custody battle over their 12-year-old son Jacobi - she maintained a low profile.

She bought a £1.5million Victorian house just 10 miles from the family home Broughton Hall, a 16th century manor house, set on a sprawling estate in the Staffordshire countryside, so that they can split custody of Jacobi.

Opening up: Former model Claire Johnson (pictured) has kept a low profile since she split from billionaire Phones4U founder John Caudwell, but has now spoken exclusively to MailOnline

Giving: Claire, 47, still plays an active role in her billionaire former boyfriend's charity, Caudwell’s Children. The two will appear together next month at its annual fundraising Butterfly Ball in London

Fairytale: Claire met John at a gym in Staffordshire when she was 32 and he was a 48-year-old divorced father-of-three, still running his mobile company Phones4U, which he set up in 1987. Pictured: Claire and Jacobi

And she will be at her ex- boyfriend’s side next month when he hosts the Butterfly Ball, an exclusive £2,100-ticket event at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel to raise money for his charity Caudwell’s Children.

Now, in a bid to raise awareness of the extravaganza, in which Burt Baccarat and the All Saints will entertain 1,000 guests, Claire, 47, has spoken for the first time about their ‘amicable’ break-up and revealed that – despite reports to the contrary – she is resolutely single.

Speaking to the MailOnline, she said: ‘I have dated but I am not in relationship.

'John and I are still very good friends. At the end of the day we have a wonderful 12-year-old son. We are both very hands on with Jacobi and work out our schedules together.

‘When you’ve been in such a big relationship, it’s very hard to move on. You never get over the loss of someone so close in terms of the history you’ve shared and the memories.

‘You go through everything together – wonderful times, serious illnesses, deaths in families – and when you meet someone new, you have to start over again.

‘That’s why I have been very cautious over the last few years not to jump into a relationship. It takes a long time to build up a history with someone, which is what John and I had.

‘I’ve got a very busy life. I’ve got great friends and family, so it would take someone incredibly special for me to fall in love again. I can’t just move to London so, unless I met someone in Staffordshire, it’s not going to be easy to take up a new life with someone.’

It is now 15 years since Claire first met Caudwell at the Total Fitness gym – now the M Club spa - in Stoke on Trent. She was a 32-year-old former Convent school girl and model, who had travelled the world, working in a boutique on a cruise liner, before returning to her home town.

He was a 48-year-old divorced father-of-three, who had just separated from his wife Kate, and was reaping the benefits of the mobile phone company he had set up in 1987.

Jackpot: John made £1.5billion from the sale, allowing him to indulge in things like yachts and helicopters, but also giving the philanthropist the opportunity to set up his own charitable foundation

Bond: The two fell in love, and - despite John fathering a love child with violinist Jane Burgess a year before Jacobi's arrival - stayed together. In 2006, two years after Jacobi was born, John sold Phones4U

Yet, despite an inauspicious start – he fathered a daughter Scarlett, now 13, with the violinist Jane Burgess – they moved in together and their son Jacobi was born in 2004.

Two years later Caudwell sold his business for £1.5 billion, enabling him to indulge in luxuries such as a 236ft yacht and a helicopter, which he pilots himself, as well his house in Staffordshire and a Mayfair mansion he bought from Prince Jefri, brother of the Sultan of Brunei.

Claire was at his side as he built up his charity Caudwell Children, which he founded the year before they met, after becoming inspired during his work for the NSPCC – he has pledged to give away half his wealth before he dies.

‘John used to support Prince Andrew on the NSPCC’s Full Stop campaign against child abuse,’ explains Claire. ‘But John being John – and the businessman he is – thought: “Yes. I want to give back. Yes. I want to be involved in charity. But I want to do it in a more cost effective way and run it as a business.”

‘That is why he set up Caudwell Children. He wanted to help children with disabilities with families who can’t help themselves. To this day he covers all the expenditure – the administration costs for the building, the staff, everything. All the money raised goes directly to helping the children.’

As Jacobi got older Claire became more involved with the charity. Then, four years ago, she set up a fundraising committee to co-ordinate events. They held monthly meetings and fundraising dinners in Caudwell’s Mayfair mansion Ancaster House, which is currently under renovation.

Careful: Claire admits she has been cautious since the split about getting into a new relationship, saying it is made more difficult by the fact she is based in Staffordshire, where Jacobi goes to school

Fitness: But she joked she had rejoined the gym where she first met John, so maybe her future lay there and she will have gone full circle

‘I thought how can we reach out to more people,’ explains Claire. ‘So I set up a committee of ladies – very high-profile and well-connected ladies – to fundraise.

‘We decided to utilise the ballroom at Ancaster House - it has a phenomenal ballroom – and we would hold committee meetings every month and dinners for 80 people.

‘The house is now closed down for because it’s under a huge renovation. But we have been holding cocktail events at various locations across London and,’ she says clapping her hands and laughing, ‘we are holding a big dinner in Mayfair in June for a last pull to say: “The ball is in a couple of weeks. Come on, buy a ticket, buy a table.”’

However, ironically, the couple’s charity work did not make them closer. Instead, as Claire became more involved in fundraising, their relationship began to unravel. They separated in September 2014.

‘I think moving to Mayfair, spending more time networking for the charity, and doing more social events in London, took us away from what matters,’ explains Claire.

‘When we were in Staffordshire, we had a normal, wholesome, down-to-earth life. But, as our social lives became so much more, we took the focus off each other and grew apart.’

After they broke up, Claire bought a £1.5million house in the neighbouring village of Butterton, where she lives with her sister Toni. The house, which has a stunning garden and tennis courts, is a WAG dream with a basement den for her son Jacobi, who has just started at a nearby private secondary school, and a dressing room and bathroom, with Jacuzzi, in the loft.

‘Obviously I was fairly limited because of my catchment area,’ she says. ‘There was no way I wanted to move to Cheshire or London. I wanted to remain in Staffordshire to be close to John so Jacobi can come and go freely and easily. I took on the house as it is and am slowly making changes.’

Fundraising: Claire and John - pictured at the ball a few years ago - are hoping the Butterfly Ball at Grosvenor House Hotel will raise huge amounts, with a table going for up to £20,000

Energy: 'John has for the last couple of years been channelling huge efforts and resources into finding people from all over the world to try and help his family,' Claire said

Problems: Claire explains John 'wanted to help children with disabilities with families who can’t help themselves'. But then the family found themselves facing their own problems, all diagnosed with Lyme disease

Family: Claire reveals how the couple have remained close since the split in September 2014, particularly for the sake of their 12-year-old son Jacobi (pictured together at their home in 2009)

Battle: John's son Rufus, 20, had started suffering panic attacks as a boy, and is now virtually housebound by agoraphobia. John now believes it is caused by the Lyme disease, which Jacobi also has

Devotion: John's ex-wife Kate McFarlane lives with him and Rufus in his London home. Kate - who was married to John for 25 years - is also Jacobi's godmother. Claire, who has never had any symptoms, revealed they are Jacobi 'very careful with his diet' in order to try and stave off the disease

When she is in London, Claire has moved back into the couple’s original flat in Chelsea, south west London. John is now living in Mayfair with his son Rufus, 20, who has Lyme’s Disease and ex-wife Kate McFarlane, who is caring for him. She and Jacobi have both been diagnosed with the disease but have not shown symptoms.

‘We never got rid of it so it was a natural move for me to have somewhere as a base when I’m in London,’ says Claire. ‘It’s important for John to keep family together. Even now, we both have separate lives but we speak on the phone every day.

‘John’s ex-wife Kate, who is Jacobi’s godmother, and his son Rufus are the ones who are seriously poorly. Luckily, touch wood, I’m not symptomatic.

‘But John has for the last couple of years been channelling huge efforts and resources into finding people from all over the world to try and help his family.

'It’s very hard for him because you can’t just put a Band Aid on it or pay money to fix it.

‘Jacobi has also tested positive so we are very careful with his diet – gluten and dairy are not great for the stomach where Lyme’s attacks – so we try and keep him in line without depriving him.’

Although they have broken up, Claire is still involved with the charity. ‘John encouraged me because he knows I’ve got connections,’ she explains. ‘I’ve got the personality and the desire. When you are a mum, you appreciate what help we have given to these kids. To just suddenly stop that would be unthinkable.

‘When John and I were together, we attended all events together, fundraising, networking. And when we separated, it obviously was very important for me to continue with the charity because I’ve built a name for myself within the charity and I’ve got connections and contacts.’

Claire has just returned from a five-day visit to Bosnia when she was advising locals on how to raise money for charity. She met local politicians to talk about children with development problems but ended up in the spotlight over her love life. Local media reported that she said: “I am in love after long time. A guy from Mostar has stolen my heart.”

 Fresh start: There were rumours she was seeing a Bosnian man after headlines appeared in local newspapers stating 'I am in love after long time. A guy from [the city of] Mostar has stolen my heart'

Misquote: But Claire says it was a mistranslation. She did admit she has an 'interest', but it is just friendship at the moment. Pictured Claire during a fundraising trip to Bosnia with the Mayor of Vogošća, Asim Sarajlić

Developing: On hotel owner 'Daniel', she said: ‘At the moment it’s just a friendship.’ Could it be more? ‘Maybe. We’ve had dinners but we’ve been talking more on a business level. He’s a lovely lovely guy but I’m not committed. I’m not at the stage to commit to anyone.’

However Claire insists that it was a mistake in translation. ‘My friend Daniel, who owns the Eden Hotel, invited me over because he knows I do a lot of charity work,’ she says. ‘They thought I had fallen in love with a guy from Bosnia and I said: “No I haven’t fallen in love. I’ve just got an interest.” 

‘At the moment it’s just a friendship.’

Could it be more? ‘Maybe. We’ve had dinners but we’ve been talking more on a business level. He’s a lovely lovely guy but I’m not committed. I’m not at the stage to commit to anyone.’

So where does Claire’s romantic future lie. ‘I met John at the gym,’ she laughs. ‘When he worked for Phones4U, the gym was very close to his office and he was going there every day. When he sold out, we had a gym installed at home.

‘But now I have a personal trainer and I go to the M Club, which is in the same building as the gym where John and I met. So you never know. I might go full circle. The next Staffordshire boy I meet could be at the club.’

• Tickets for the Butterfly Ball on June 22 can be obtained at 01782-600444 or butterflyball@caudwellchildren.com.