Latest news with #financialwoes
Daily Mail
21-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Kate Garraway's 'shock' amid £800,000 debt battle as she faces £288,000 tax bill after husband Derek Draper's death and care costs
Kate Garraway has been left 'shocked' after her latest financial woes have been revealed amid her debt struggles following her husband Derek Draper's death. The presenter, 58, has openly discussed how she has been left with debts between £500,000 and £800,000 after caring for her late husband. Political lobbyist Derek died at the age of 56 in January 2024 following a four-year battle with long Covid, with Kate paying £16,000 a month on his care. Now, a new liquidator's report has revealed the large tax costs that are yet to be paid by Derek's now-defunct psychotherapeutic company Astra Aspera. The company, which was jointly controlled by Kate, went bust owing hundreds of thousands of pounds to creditors, including a large bill to HMRC. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Filings on Companies House have revealed how Kate has been trying to pay off the debt, with HMRC now submitting a lower revised total in a small boost. HMRC's latest preferential claim stands at £288,054, which is around a third of its previous 2023 submission of £716,822, according to the documents. It is not known why HMRC dropped the payment, and the filing has claimed there are also 'insufficient funds to pay a dividend to secondary preferential creditors'. According to The Sun, Kate has so far paid back £21,000. Addressing the filing, Kate's spokesperson told MailOnline the 'shocked' TV star 'doesn't recognise these figures' and is in contact with HMRC to make sure she 'honours what is required'. Their statement read: 'Kate has met all that the liquidators of Derek's company have asked for and more over the past four years. 'She doesn't recognise these figures and is shocked that it's being presented in this way by them. 'Caring for Derek and supporting her family when Derek could no longer run his own businesses has taken a huge financial toll on her but she's determined to put things right. 'She is in constant contact with HMRC to make sure she honours what's required from Derek's now defunct company.' Derek battled long Covid for four years before his death and Kate has openly discussed the devastating financial toll of funding his care during that period. When Derek wasn't in hospital, he had to be looked after 24/7 at home by his wife and a team of carers. Derek battled long Covid for four years before his death and Kate has openly discussed the devastating financial toll of funding his care during that period. When Derek wasn't in hospital, he had to be looked after 24/7 at home by his wife and a team of carers. In January, Kate explained how she has been left with 'excessive un-payable debt' as she spoke about dealing with the funding of his care. She shared: 'The family and I have been talking about the challenges we faced this time last year, one of the overriding ones, he went back into intensive care before he passed away was dealing with the funding of care. 'At the time of his death, there were two appeals that hadn't been heard for funding. It kept being pushed back and pushed back. 'In the meantime I'm lucky I have an incredible job which is well paid. I was having to fund the situation. 'Now I've got excessive un-payable debt because of it. If I'm in that position what else are people going to be?' In March 2024, the presenter revealed that she had been spending £16,000 a month on care for her late husband. She told Good Morning Britain: 'I am ashamed of the fact I'm in debt. I have an incredible job that I love, that's very well paid. 'I'm not a carer travelling miles, paying their own transport to go and help somebody for minimum wage. 'I'm somebody that is very well paid and so I just feel a shame that I couldn't make it work.'
Free Malaysia Today
19-05-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
DAP man slams PDC bonuses amid Penang's ‘financial woes'
DAP's Air Itam assemblyman, Joseph Ng, said the officers and staff of PDC are not private sector workers 'who can share the company's revenue among themselves'. (Facebook pic) GEORGE TOWN : A backbencher has taken the Penang Development Corporation (PDC) to task for giving up to six months' bonuses to its staff earlier this year. Joseph Ng (PH-Air Itam) said the decision to provide bonuses was ill-timed, given the state's ongoing financial woes. While Ng did not go into specifics, former chief minister Lim Guan Eng had expressed concern last year over Penang's financial health, following a drastic reduction in the state's bank balance, which plummeted by RM825 million over the past four years. Ng said the bonuses would also be unfair as they would create a divide between PDC staff and other civil servants, whose departments are enduring budget cuts this year and 'got only modest year-end BKK (Bantuan Khas Kewangan) payments'. 'The officers and staff of PDC are not private sector workers who can share the company's revenue among themselves. PDC is a state government agency,' he said during the debate on the motion of thanks to the governor in the state assembly today. On Feb 9, the PDC's CEO, Aziz Bakar, revealed that 396 staff would receive bonuses ranging from one to six months, based on their performances, after recording over RM500 million in profits for 2024, the highest in the corporation's history since its establishment in 1969. About 10% of the staff would receive the full six-month payout, PDC was reported to have said. Ng said there was no justification for the bonuses as PDC and its subsidiaries still owed money to the state and banks. 'I believe that PDC should prioritise settling its debts to the state before it declares profits and distributes six-month bonuses to its staff,' he said. Citing a written reply, he said that between 2018 and 2025, PDC was reported to have disbursed over RM41.5 million in bonuses and special payments, including the annual BKK given to state civil servants. Ng said PDC's profits were not all self-earned, as the agency benefitted from state land deals, soft loans, and development privileges. He also said the reported 'strong profits' in property development are not exceptional or impressive. 'Without this backing from government agencies, it would have been nearly impossible for PDC to achieve such profits,' he said. 'The state government is currently in a tight financial position, so I would like an explanation from the government on this.'
Daily Mail
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Helen Flanagan shows off her toned curves in a white maxi dress as she steps out in Gibraltar - after putting her house on the market for £1.5m
Helen Flanagan stunned in a white dress as she was seen enjoying a sunny stroll in Gibraltar on Thursday - after being forced to put her house up for sale and admitting she is 'broke'. The former Coronation Street actress, 34, displayed her toned curves in the long-sleeve number, pairing it with a white bikini top underneath. The blonde bombshell appeared to be heading to the beach after some retail therapy, carrying a large straw tote bag and sandals. Helen slicked her tresses into a flawless bun and accessorised with a pair of stylish sunglasses. The Celebs Go Dating star appeared in good spirits on her solo outing, as she was in the city to attend Which Bingo Awards in Gibraltar on Wednesday. Helen recently revealed she has had to market her £1.5million house due to financial woes following her split from ex Scott Sinclair. The bingo event, which celebrates key names in online gaming and entertainment, took place at The Sunborn Hotel. It comes after Helen put her 'forever home' on the market after seemingly losing most of her multi-million pound fortune. And it looks as though the actress will have to wave goodbye to her incredible designer-filled wardrobe filled with glamorous accessories from the likes of Chanel and YSL. She admitted she was having to sell her home after she was left 'broke' following her split from her ex fiancé Scott Sinclair and claimed that she barely had enough money to pay a £10 cab fare to get her son Charlie, three, to nursery. And a few days ago the six-bedroom detached property, situated in a village on the outskirts of Bolton, hit the market. The three-floored property is spread over 5,000 square feet and is an 'exceptional and beautifully presented detached family resident'. However while Helen has recently fallen on hard times, one of the bedroom's living room is full of designer handbags - including Chanel and YSL - trendy clothes and shoes, 'which really gives it the wow factor', according to the listing. If it sells for anywhere near asking price, the former Coronation Street star will gain a substantial profit on the £840,000 paid for it in June 2021, according to land registry docs. She appeared in good spirits as she attended the Which Bingo Awards in Gibraltar on Wednesday evening after putting her house on the market for £1.5million The mystery is who will keep the profit, as land registry docs seen by the Daily Mail in January reveal that its registered with her ex-partner, footballer Scott. Judging from the estate agent's photos, it appears Helen is still living there with her three children as their bedrooms are full of their belongings. In the living room can be seen, a grand piano and there are also six bathrooms as well as a bespoke kitchen and breakfast bar with underfloor heating throughout. Two of the bedrooms also have their own en-suite bathrooms and living rooms. After splitting from Scott, Helen claimed in a court appearance for a speeding offence that she was 'really struggling financially' after raking in a fortune from Corrie and lucrative appearances on reality shows. MailOnline can reveal that last year her personal company's net income was £75,616, just over £5,000 more than her 2023 earnings. Last year her firm HJF Darling Ltd had retaining earnings of £75,615, which is an increase of £5,545 on the previous year. Retained earnings are the firm's net income minus all expenses and dividends. Yet it also paid £58,549 in taxation and social security, which is usually VAT, PAYE and NI, so it suggests that Helen is still earning a decent enough wage. The accounts also reveal that Helen was forced to get rid of her only staff member last year as she is the only director/employee of the firm now. Despite claiming that she was skint to the courts in January and needed her car to ferry her three kids around, magistrates still banned her from driving for six months. She said: 'I'm a single mum, I live in the middle of the moors.' She said her 'job really is being a mum at home' and she had 'enough money in my account to pay off my tax and my VAT and basically that's about it' – later adding that she has 'enough money to pay my taxes, pay the mortgage and for a bit of tea'. Confirming she would be selling the property a month ago on The Declutter Hub podcast with Ingrid Jansen and Lesley Spellman, she insisted she was 'down to earth' but that moving would be hard. She also revealed that despite the house already being on the market she doesn't know where she will move to next - admitting London might be too expensive. Helen co-parents kids Matilda, nine, Delilah, six, and Charlie, three, with ex Scott but is now in a relationship with new boyfriend Robbie Talbot who lives in Liverpool, where his two children are based. She said of the future move: 'We are selling the house now which will be nice to have a change. Because I was with Scott for so long I was used to moving house a lot (because he is a footballer) so it's normal for me. 'I could now never stay in one place for too long I don't think. I like a change, I love it.' She added: 'It makes me sad that I am going to be leaving this house soon because I have put so much effort into it. 'I put loads of my savings into making it look really beautiful. It's eight bedrooms which is hard to keep on top of - it's a lot. 'When we move I will struggle to downsize - I don't want to not sounds down to earth. Bu it will feel weird. It will be more manageable for me. 'I don't know where I want to live next. I've always wanted to live in London but there is such a price difference there. But it would be amazing for work and I do want a change. It's been a heavy few years for me so it will be a lovely fresh change.'
