Adrian Portelli has become one of the most talked-about names in Australia – from being named the nation’s 115th richest person to becoming a billionaire at just 34, a serial purchaser of The Block homes and now helping fund My Reno Rules. But according to Adrian, there is still plenty the public gets wrong about him.
“With The Block, for example, certain media outlets make out that we hate each other and things get twisted,” Adrian, 37, tells TV WEEK. “But no, we aren’t rivals. We poke fun at each other; we’re constantly messaging crew from The Block. They wish us all the success – but they’ll be watching closely to see how our show rates!”
Life in the spotlight is something Adrian has grown used to since becoming known as the “Lambo Guy”, thanks to his luxury car collection and the fortune he built through LMCT+, his subscription-based rewards business.
“Any publicity is good publicity,” he jokes. “I always say journalists have a job to do and there’s only been a couple of times where the line has been crossed.”
A publicity stunt that landed both Adrian – and then-Today presenter Alex Cullen – in hot water was when he offered $50,000 to whichever journalist referred to him on air as “McLaren Guy”. Alex was later fired after accepting the payment and has since joined 7NEWS.
“It was very unfortunate,” Adrian says of Alex’s firing. “But things happen for a reason and hopefully he now has a more stable job at a more stable network. I’m hoping to work with him in the future.”
While Adrian is comfortable being front and centre, his long-term partner Karlie Butler and their children, Mercy and Ayla, prefer life out of the spotlight.
“My partner doesn’t want to be recognised,” he says. “She is private and a very quiet person. She’s not on social media, so I think we are a good balance. I’m happy to take the brunt of it.”
Despite his extraordinary wealth, Adrian says success came at the right time in his life.
“If I was an overnight success at a very young age, I think my outcome would have been very different,” he says. “But I’ve been able to handle a lot of these outside pressures better as a result of me having to work so hard to get to where I am.”
Even now being in a position where he could slow down, it doesn’t come naturally.
“As soon as I think I’m going to take one day off, I get sick,” Adrian says with a laugh. “I think my body runs on adrenaline, so as soon as I slow down I get sick. But I love working – that’s just my hobby. I love building businesses and giving value to people.”
That drive is part of the reason he threw himself into My Reno Rules – and why he decided to dramatically raise the prize money after seeing how hard the contestants were working.
The show now offers $1 million to the winning team and $250,000 to the runners-up, alongside the fully renovated homes set to be given away in what has been billed as Australia’s biggest TV giveaway.
“When I went and saw how hard the contestants were working, I was embarrassed to only offer $100k,” he says. “They are working very hard – I had to raise the bar a little bit.”
My Reno Rules airs Tuesdays at 7.30pm on Channel Seven and 7Plus.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
