Former Miss Great Britain joins the jetset with £500m Sir Stelios

Evening cocktails: Sir Stelios out with Brooke Johnston
13 April 2012

It is hard to see what they have in common. He is a prominent airline tycoon, and she is a green-crusading former Miss Great Britain who has posed in little more than lettuce leaves to show off her environmental credentials.

But then, when you dating one of Britain's most eligible bachelors with a £500 million fortune, it is perhaps easy to overlook a little difference of opinion.

More here... • EasyJet founder is knighted by Queen

EasyJet founder, Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou stepped out with his new girlfriend, former Miss Great Britain, Brooke Johnston for the first time at the weekend.

Night out: Sir Stelios with Brooke Johnston

Flying high in the first flush of romance, the couple appeared smiling together as they left the stylish Art Bar in South Kensington, west London.

After spending two hours sipping cocktails, they headed back to an exclusive apartment complex off Sloane Square where the Canadian-born beauty is thought to be staying at a cost of £2,000 a week.

Friends revealed yesterday that the relationship blossomed after the 40-year-old Greek-Cypriot multimillionaire met the stunning 26-year-old model over Christmas in Monaco, where he spends most of his time.

There, she is said to have become good friends with Prince Albert of Monaco, holidaying with him in South Africa last year.

Obsessively secretive about his private life, Stelios has rarely been seen with girlfriends But onlookers described how the 5ft 8in model appeared to have captured his heart.

One said: "I don't know what she sees in him. She is a slim, gorgeous model and he is hardly attractive, but they appeared to only have eyes for each other." The couple make an unusual match. The daughter of two teachers, Miss Johnston, who has dual nationality, was raised in Canada before coming to the UK to train as a broadcast journalist.

An enthusiastic supporter of animal rights, the former Miss Great Britain has posed alongside Pamela Anderson for model shoots to raise awareness of anti-fur campaigns for PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals).

Turning vegetarian as a teenager after taking a class on environmental geography at school, she is committed to organic food, cruelty-free goods and products which have not used "exploited labour".

After being crowned Miss Great Britain in 2005, Miss Johnston campaigned on vegetarianism, which included posing in a scanty bikini made up of lettuce and she has worked for the Dr Hadwen Trust, a charity which campaigns against animal testing.

The Fashion TV presenter and model has also promoted cruelty-free beauty and fashion and worked protecting endangered species.

In comparison, the background of her new love interest couldn't be more different.

Educated in Athens, Stelios spent four years studying in the UK, first at the London School of Economics and then at City University, where he completed a masters degree in shipping trade and economics.

Hailing from a privileged background, he set up easyJet with just three planes after deciding to quit as chief executive of Troodos, the family oil tanker firm, where he had worked since he was 21, becoming chief executive at 22.

Since starting his easy empire with the launch of his low-cost airline more than 10 years ago, he has established 15 easy companies entering a huge number of markets including pizza delivery and online credit cards.

He is reputed to be have amassed a personal fortune of anywhere between £350m-500m, which includes a villa in Monaco and yachts in the Mediterranean and is currently rated 80th in Britain's Rich List.

It is the first time that he has been seen with anyone since his relationship with Dana Cook in 2005, the twice divorced daughter of Mandy Rice-Davies - the former call girl implicated in the Profumo affair.

But last night the entrepreneur declined to comment on the relationship, saying: "As you know, I don't comment publicly about my private life."

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