Casino mogul James Packer is nothing if not determined.
And he’ll stop at nothing to win back Jodhi Meares, now she’s dumped her toyboy husband after a short-lived 14-month marriage, telling friends he is willing to “wait as long as it takes” to reboot their love story.
Even before Jodhi, who turns 46 this week, dumped 29-year-old photographer Nick Tsindos last week, James made his feelings clear to the designer, presenting her with gifts and phoning often to make sure she was OK.
Jodhi and Nick parted ways after 14 months…
Jodhi joined James and Mariah on holiday in Italy in June 2015.
He secretly sent her $500,000 Cartier diamond earrings for Christmas, just before she married Nick, and made his fleet of super yachts and private jets available to her. All that as well as investing in her fashion company The Upside and helping her take her new brand global.
“James is either the best ex- husband in the world, or he’s still in love with Jodhi – and we all know he worships the ground she walks on,” explains one friend.
“She never asks anything of him, but he showers her with gifts, and he has for years.”
The former couple tied the knot in a lavish ceremony in Sydney in 1999.
Even when they were with other people, James and Jodhi remained very close friends.
Insiders now admit to Woman’s Day that they suspect James’ much publicised engagement to pop diva Mariah Carey was simply a shock reaction to Jodhi eloping with Nick, given he presented Mariah, 46, with her $10 million rock just a week later – after flying to Hawaii to try to convince Jodhi to give him a second chance.
Jodhi broke up with James in 2002 after just three years of marriage, because she couldn’t cope with the pressure of being a “Packer wife”.
But the couple never stopped loving each other, at the time issuing a statement saying they “remain the best of friends”.
Be sure to pick a copy of this week’s copy of Woman’s Day magazine to find out how the pair’s friendship has blossomed into so much more!
