From lively evenings in London to hospitality getaways in Cheltenham – there was a time when Michelle Mone and Carol Vorderman seemed inseparable.
And their public comments were certainly affectionate, with Michelle calling the former Countdown host her “good friend” whose “fun” company helped her get over her divorce.
But the pair fell apart “some time ago,” insiders say, before 62-year-old Carol began to vehemently criticize the Tory equal about allegations related to government PPE contracts during Covid.
Carol’s public attack on Michelle today on This Morning put a missile under the feud, sparking a barrage of counterclaims from Michelle’s camp – which MailOnline can now reveal for the first time.
2010: Carol Vorderman (left) and Baroness Mone at the launch party of The Sun’s new magazine, The Buzz
The comments came after Carole reignited her feud with her former boyfriend during a fiery interview on This Morning, which ended with her turning to the camera and saying, “Sue me, Michelle.”
Carol used her appearance to share details about the scandal currently engulfing 51-year-old Michelle, which she wrapped up in a lengthy monologue before being interrupted by host Alison Hammond.
She addressed the viewers and said, “I can’t talk about useless personal protective equipment without also talking about Michelle Mone who was brought into the House of Lords as a Baroness by David Cameron.
“We know she took leave without losing the Tory whip to begin with because she was actively involved, as it goes, with a company called PPE Medpro.”
Carol acknowledged that she had once been friends with Michelle, before adding, “Well, Michelle Mone, I knew it, many years ago and then she dropped her like a stone as soon as I realized what kind of person she was.”
She turned to look directly at the camera and held up both hands as she said, “Sue me, Michelle.”
2010: Carol and Michelle at the Marion Rose Ball in aid of children with leukemia at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London
2011: The pair embrace after spending time together in central London
The intervention enraged the Peer’s camp, with a source close to her labeling the broadcaster as ‘hungry for publicity’ and calling the comments ‘outrageous’.
“I really don’t understand why Carol started this attack,” the source told MailOnline.
The ally also responded to Carol’s claims on Twitter that Michelle’s husband, Doug Barrowman, had paid for a superyacht and private jet with money from government PPE contracts.
“Baroness Mone’s husband has owned superyachts and a jet for many years. What are the reasons – a hunger for publicity, or perhaps the end of her TV career?’
What is still unclear is who ended the friendship first, with both giving conflicting accounts.
Today, Michelle’s friend told MailOnline that she had always been generous to Carol, paying for her food and drink for “two years” and letting her stay “rent-free” in her Mayfair apartment.
In contrast, they portrayed the broadcaster as ungrateful, claiming that she “never thanked” and once “entertained” men of the Red Arrows at the property without her knowledge.
A source close to Michelle Mone hit back today at comments made by her former girlfriend, Carol Vorderman (they were pictured together in Cheltenham in 2012)
Vorderman with her ex-boyfriend Graham Duff, a former leader of the Red Arrows Squadron
Baroness Mone welcomes Vorderman on Twitter (above); and below – one of Vorderman’s comments on the PPE scandal
Carol’s friends, meanwhile, have maintained that it was she who ended the friendship.
“There was no bitter row or argument between them,” a source told The Sun. “Carol just decided not to continue the friendship over ten years ago.”
One thing that is clear is the extent to which Michelle’s alleged behavior during Covid contributed to escalating the feud.
Carol’s online attacks on Michelle have only intensified in recent weeks as she gains more attention for her business dealings.
These were vicious at times, with the broadcaster even claiming in one message that her former friend should be ‘thrown in jail where she belongs’.
Another tweet read: ‘Lady’ Mone broke Lords code and was seemingly involved in fraud as nurses and doctors toiled all hours to save people in the 1st lockdown.
“I can’t talk about useless personal protective equipment without also talking about Michelle Mone who was brought into the House of Lords as a Baroness by David Cameron,” the former Countdown presenter said.
She denied any involvement, but her husband got £65 million in profit and she got £29 million. If so, throw them in jail where they belong.”
And in the blink of an eye she wrote: ‘After £221million PPE contracts, Michelle Mone Hancock threatened that if a 2nd company she ‘helped’ to get a power test contract was not allowed to come into play’ the award would seem ‘corrupt’ & she’d ‘blow all this wide open’ Where do we start?’
Michelle is now under investigation by the National Crime Agency as part of a fraud investigation into a Covid delivery company she recommended to ministers.
She is also being questioned by the House of Lords over concerns she may have shown no interest in PPE Medpro and has lobbied to win £203 million worth of NHS contracts, losing the Tory whip following a break from parliament in an attempt to clear her name.
The government is also suing the company for allegedly violating the terms of a deal to supply 25 million surgical gowns for medics.
MailOnline has reached out to Michelle and Carol’s representatives for comment.
From leaving school in Glasgow with no qualifications to modeling and business deals: how ‘Baroness Bra’ made her millions
Lingerie magnate Michelle Mone was born in 1971 and grew up in Glasgow’s East End. She left school with no qualifications at the age of 15 before finding work as a model.
After leading a sales and marketing team for Labatt’s brewery, she decided to create a line of supportive bras after she came up with the idea while wearing an uncomfortable bra to a dinner party.
Lady Mone founded MJM International with her then-husband Michael Mone in November 1996, and three years of research, design and development resulted in the patented Ultimo bra.
Lingerie mogul Michelle Mone (pictured centre) is under investigation by the House of Lords Commissioners for Standards for allegedly declaring no interest in PPE Medpro and lobbying to win government contracts
The 51-year-old Conservative fellow (pictured) – nicknamed Baroness Bra – has always maintained she was not involved with PPE Medpro nor benefited financially from it
In August 1999, a month after giving birth to her third child, she launched Ultimo at Selfridges department store in London, which sold an estimated six weeks’ stock in 24 hours before launch.
The business grew rapidly and in 2010 she earned an OBE from the Queen for her contribution to business.
But she sold 80 percent of Ultimo in 2014, a year after announcing she was leaving the company following a rift in her marriage.
Lady Mone was nicknamed ‘Baroness Bra’ after being elevated to the House of Lords in 2015, where her official title is Baroness Mone of Mayfair.
To celebrate her 50th birthday, she decided to throw five parties — one for each decade of her life — with her new husband billionaire tech mogul Doug Barrowman, 55.
Baroness Mone founded the brand Ultimo, which earned her the nickname Baroness Bra