Bernie Ecclestone, the former chief executive of the Formula One Group, has become a father for the fourth time aged 89. Bernie has confirmed the birth to Swiss German news outlet Blick, saying: ‘We have a son named Ace. I am so proud.’
His wife Fabiana Flosi, 44, explained that she experienced a trouble-free labour: ‘It was all so easy. The birth was over after 25 minutes. I thank god.’ Ecclestone’s new addition arrives not long before his 90th birthday, in October.
Bernie told the MailOnline: ‘I'm very happy for my wife. She's been looking forward to this happening for quite a few years, so I'm happy she'll have someone after I'm gone. It's fun, I've got grandchildren and I'm looking forward to having another baby.’ Bernie and his wife spent the beginning of lockdown at his farm near Sao Paulo, Brazil, and then travelled to Switzerland.
On the subject of the impending birth, the British business magnate told Blick earlier this year: ‘Hopefully he’ll learn to play backgammon soon!’ Flosi is quoted as stating that: ‘Like all parents, we have only one wish: the child must be born healthy,’ before jokingly adding: ‘Hopefully he will never express the intention to do something with Formula One.’
89-year-old Ecclestone has three daughters from his previous marriages, Deborah (65), Tamara (35) and Petra (31). Deborah was born in 1955, during Ecclestone’s first marriage to Ivy Bamford. He subsequently married his second wife, Croatia model Slavica Radić, in 1985, with whom he had Tamara and Petra. He married his third wife, 44-year-old Brazilian marketing director Flosi, in 2012.
The new parents met through the World Sport Council, where Flosi regularly attended meetings. They knew each other professionally for a few years before a mutual friend invited Fabiana on a cruise around Croatia with Bernie and others in 2009, and the rest is history.
It was previously widely reported that Ramjit Raghav – an Indian wrestler and farmer – was the world's oldest father. Raghav claimed to have fathered a child with his 59-year-old wife, Shakuntala Devi, at the age of 94. The couple became parents for the second time two years later, when Raghav was reportedly aged 96.
He died on 12 February this year, aged 104, in a fire at his home, after being quoted in the Telegraph as stating: ‘I have been a vegetarian all my life, and I credit my stamina and virility to my diet of vegetables and grains. Being a vegetarian is the secret to my strength and good health.’
Perhaps Ecclestone has taken a leaf out of Raghav’s book and has been feasting on vegetables and grains himself lately.
More from Tatler
