Billionaire threatens to close down Harvey Nicks after High Court battle over unpaid debt

Published: 00:59, 24 June 2026 | Updated: 02:10, 24 June 2026 They're both billionaires but their stylistic differences could scarcely be more striking. In one corner, there is the combative founder of Sports Direct, Mike Ashley, 61, he of the well-upholstered figure and cannon ball head, perhaps easiest to picture in the black and white strip of Newcastle United, even though he sold the club in 2021. Facing him in the other corner is Stephen Rubin, 88, a philanthropic, bow-tied gentleman with a crown of snow-white hair who's shied away from publicity throughout his life, despite heading a business dynasty which owns a slew of sports and outdoor brands, including Lacoste and Berghaus, and which also holds a majority stake in JD Sports. For it seems only a matter of time till the pair are at loggerheads again, 15 years after Ashley declared that he would 'finish off' another rival, JJB Sports, and then 'move on to JD'. Stephen Rubin, 88, has a business dynasty which owns a slew of sports and outdoor brands, including Lacoste and Berghaus, and which also holds a majority stake in JD Sports I can disclose that, days ago, Rubin and his family initiated a dramatic High Court action against Harvey Nichols over an unpaid debt. Last Thursday, one of the Rubins' companies issued a winding-up petition against 'Harvey Nicks', the department store in London's Knightsbridge which came to global attention as practically the second home of Patsy and Edina in Absolutely Fabulous, the 1990s sitcom starring Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley. Such a petition forces a company to close unless its debts are paid and would have been unthinkable in the store's Ab Fab heyday. It will surely alert Ashley, who's said to be eyeing up its regional stores in cities such as Bristol and Edinburgh. How many would bet against him snapping them up? Ashley once challenged a young Polish analyst to a drinking competition, defeated him by downing 12 pints followed by vodka chasers – and celebrated by vomiting into a fireplace. But he may have to bide his time before getting his hands on any part of Harvey Nichols. It assures me that 'payment has been made' to the Rubins, who decline to comment. Jannik Sinner took more than three hours to defeat his great rival Carlos Alcaraz on Centre Court last summer, but the Wimbledon champion didn't need long to attract some of society's most beautiful women this week. At Claridge's in Mayfair, the Italian tennis star, 24, was joined within minutes by Kate Moss's daughter Lila, 23, King Charles's goddaughter Princess Maria-Olympia of Greece, 29, Swiss-Lebanese designer Sabine Getty, 41, and socialite Camille Charriere, 38. Sinner could tell his absent girlfriend, the Swedish model Laila Hasanovic, 25, that it was a work night as the dinner was hosted by Gucci, the label for which he's a 'global brand ambassador'. Will Andy Burnham be the 'new Liz Truss'? I ask only because the so-called 'King of the North' will have to travel north of the border if he is to become PM next month, as expected. Liz Truss made the 1,100-mile round trip from London to Balmoral when Queen Elizabeth asked her to form a government after the resignation of Boris Johnson in September 2022. The Queen died two days later and Truss's premiership lasted a further 47 days. King Charles will also be at the private Highlands retreat. Alternatively, Burnham could ask His Majesty to break off his summer holiday and return to London to meet him. But that would hardly start his relationshp with the monarch on the right foot. Emma Willis' husband Matt says their marriage has benefited from counselling New Strictly Come Dancing host Emma Willis attended couples counselling with her husband, Matt, and discovered a small issue that was causing 'massive' problems in their marriage. 'We had this same thing that was kind of coming up in our relationship,' admits Busted star and former I'm A Celebrity winner Matt. 'I won't go into too many details, but same thing, same conversation over and over again, never getting anywhere.' He adds: 'Once we actually got to the root of what that was, we have never had that problem ever again. 'It was so small, when I think about it, but it was actually massive. And now looking back at it, that was everything that was holding us away from truly loving.' Having failed to help establish the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as Hollywood power players, their closest adviser James Holt is now joining another lost cause. Holt, who worked for the couple from 2019 until last year and featured heavily in their Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan, is returning to the Liberal Democrats as 'Political Director' of Sir Ed Davey's struggling party. 'This opportunity feels like coming home in more ways than one,' says Holt, a former spokesman for the Lib Dems. As Daenerys Targaryen's adviser Missandei in Game Of Thrones, Nathalie Emmanuel was used to dealing with fire-breathing dragons. In real life, the actress is, however, struggling to cope with flaming June. Nathalie, 37, was spotted using a handheld fan at a Giorgio Armani show during Milan Fashion Week. The mercury in the Italian city has soared towards 40C this week. Opera star Danielle de Niese, who rode in the Royal Procession of carriages at Ascot last week, reveals that she fell silent when she was expecting a child. 'I lost my singing voice when I was pregnant and I was in a right old panic,' admits the lyric soprano, 47, who has two children with her husband, Glyndebourne Festival Opera chairman Gus Christie, 62. 'The only uptick was I sounded super-sexy. I sounded like a Bond girl, but my vocal cords weren't vibrating well. 'I went to see my doctor. He looked at my cords. He was, like: 'Oh, they're filled with fluid because you're gonna have a baby in three weeks.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? 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