Who is Paul Kemsley?
Businessman Paul Kemsley, known as ‘PK’, came into the spotlight by appearing in the reality television show “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”. He’s well-known as a property developer, and as a former Vice-Chairman of London Premier League football (soccer) club Tottenham Hotspur. Paul was also the Chairman of the revived New York Cosmos, a professional soccer club that plays in the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA).
Early life and education
Paul Zeital Kemsley was born under the zodiac sign of Leo on 17 August 1967, in Stanmore, Middlesex, England, thus he holds British nationality, and his ethnicity is White.
He was raised in his hometown by his parents, about whom nothing is known – Paul hasn’t shared any information regarding their names and occupations, nor spoken about his sibling – it’s known that he has a younger brother named Steve, however, nothing more is known about him.
Speaking of Paul’s educational background, he attended Atholl School, in Rayners Lane, Harrow, England, but dropped out of school aged 17.
Career
At the age of 15, Paul was working at John Paul Menswear, where he met Mike Ashley, his future business partner. When he left high school, Paul started serving as a junior surveyor at Gross Fine, and then from 1985 until 1992, he worked as an agent at the real-estate firm, Ross Jaye.
In 1992, he joined Mike Ashley, who opened his first Sports World equipment outlet, and Paul helped to expand the group. As Paul said, in 1995, he started his own business with ‘the £1,800 he had left in his pocket’ (around $2,000).
He established a property and securities company called Rock Joint Ventures Ltd, alongside Daniel Levy and Joe Lewis, and the company specialized in land trading. By 2007, the company’s property portfolio was valued at £750 million (around $880 million), however, in 2009, the company was placed into administration, ending Paul’s involvement.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qele5fIEMd0
Paul Kemsley was known as an aggressive player when it comes to the property business, and his most successful deal was when he bought an office block in London, England for £40 million (around $47 million), and then sold it for £72 million (around $85 million) to a former Russian government minister.
In 2008, his personal net worth was estimated at £180 million (around $212 million).
In 2010, Paul moved to the USA, and led a relaunch of the New York Cosmos soccer club, however, he stepped away from the club in October 2011.
In March 2012, he filed for bankruptcy listing expenses of $34,000 per month and personal debts ranging from $10–$50 million with debts to creditors including Joe Lewis, Spreadex, HBOS, and HMRC.
In 2013, the US Bankruptcy Court’s Judge Peck denied Paul’s chapter 15 bankruptcy application, calling him ‘a bankrupt who doesn’t live like one’. According to the magazine The Sun, in 2021, it was revealed that Paul and his second wife owe over $1.3 million in unpaid taxes.
The two seemingly live a luxurious life, however, Paul was often accused (and sued) for owing money to his business partners. In 2020, they listed their mansion for $9.5 million, however, after no buyers, the listing price was reduced to $8 million. The house hasn’t been sold, so Paul came to the idea to rent the home for $75,000 per month, as an attempt to make money off the house more quickly.
As of August 2022, Paul hasn’t commented about his financial downfalls, however, his wife said: ‘PK’s affairs, and whoever’s coming out trying to say he owes him money, that is from another lifetime ago. It’s way before me, it’s way before his bankruptcy. It’s at the height — and unfortunately, when you become public they come out of the woodwork and that’s exactly what’s happening.’
LA property tycoon Paul ‘PK’ Kemsley joins @channel4 to head up new competition format, Selling Super Prime. PK and @doritkemsley1 will be swapping Beverly Hills for London with one simple mission, to turn the super prime property market on its head.https://t.co/lIKWOvRoBZ pic.twitter.com/7R3HZ0j6kG
— Channel 4 Press (@C4Press) December 20, 2021
What happened to him?
In November 2021, Paul was arrested for driving under the influence (DUI); his lawyer confirmed that he was pulled over by California Highway Patrol, and reportedly blew 0.081 during a Breathalyzer test, over the legal limit of .08, and was taken to the station. About an hour later, he took another test and blew 0.073, and he was then driven home by the policeman.
‘This would mark the first and only such incident in PK’s long driving history. He has learned a valuable lesson’, his lawyer concluded.
First wife
Paul’s first wife, Loretta Gold was from Portsmouth, England; nothing much has been revealed about her and their marriage, except that they have three children together. Their oldest son, Daniel is in his 20s, second born is their daughter Atlanta, who is 19 years old, while the youngest is Tatum, who just turned 17 in mid-2022.
It’s known that the family lived in Radlett, Hertfordshire, England until 2007 when they moved to the US. Many assume that the two divorced in 2012 when Loretta and the children returned to London.
According to Paul’s Instagram photos, he’s close to his children, and they often visit him and their stepmother.
Second marriage
Paul’s second wife is Dorit Kemsley (née Lemel) – the two met through friends, sometime in 2011, and according to Dorit, ‘romance quickly flourished’. The two married on 7 March 2015, on top of the Rockefeller Center in New York City. They have two children together, son Jagger born in 2015, and daughter Phoenix, born in 2017.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cf-lzxUNLHc/
Dorit is an American fashion designer, who developed the swimwear line called Beverly Beach, and a bridal collection, Nektaria, and is well-known as a main cast member in “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”. She was born under the zodiac sign of Cancer on 14 July 1976, in Woodbridge, Connecticut, so her age is 46, while her husband is nine years older.
As of August 2022, Paul and Dorit are still in marriage, and raise their children together. They both often share photos featuring their everyday life, on their Instagram accounts.
Net worth
Paul and his second wife Dorit are the owners of a 9,000-square-foot mansion in Encino, California; in October 2021, their home was robbed by three male burglars, and reportedly, around $1 million worth of valued possessions were stolen from the household.
According to sources, as of August 2022, Paul and his wife have a combined net worth estimated at over $50 million.
