Triple-barrelled bust-up! Baronet’s ex-wife tells her lover: You owe me £427,000 for rent, dentistry… and kite-surfing gear
A former baronet's wife, Anna Calthorpe, lost a £427,000 legal claim against her ex-boyfriend Stephen Constable-Maxwell, whom she had accused of failing to repay her for rent, holidays, dental work and other expenses accrued during their relationship. Southampton County Court dismissed her case in full and ordered her to pay 80 per cent of his legal costs, while also rejecting his counterclaim, which included allegations that she had physically assaulted him.
Calthorpe, 51, began her relationship with former City financier Constable-Maxwell, 62, in 2016 after her marriage to Sir Euan Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe ended. She claimed a £50,000 loan agreement had later been informally extended to cover everything she spent on him over four years, including £160,178 in rent, £57,753 on holidays, and items such as kite-surfing gear and windscreen wipers, but Judge Glen rejected this. Constable-Maxwell denied owing anything beyond the original loan, which he said he had repaid, and his own counterclaim for items such as counselling and farm labour also failed. Neither party was awarded any money, leaving Calthorpe liable for £75,000 in costs by the following Friday.
- Ex-baronet's wife's £427,000 claim against former boyfriend dismissed by court
- Judge also threw out boyfriend's assault-based counterclaim entirely
- She must pay 80% of his legal costs, £75,000 upfront
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Anna Calthorpe was married to Sir Euan Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe, a baronet, before that marriage ended. In 2016 she began a relationship with Stephen Constable-Maxwell, a former City financier, which lasted around four years. After the relationship broke down, she took him to court claiming he owed her £427,000 for things she said she had paid for on his behalf, including rent, holidays, dental treatment and kite-surfing equipment.
The case was heard at Southampton County Court, where Calthorpe argued that an original £50,000 loan agreement between the pair had informally grown to cover all her spending on him over the years. Constable-Maxwell disputed this, saying he owed nothing beyond the initial loan, which he maintained he had already repaid. He also brought his own counterclaim against her, covering costs such as counselling and farm labour, and including allegations that she had assaulted him.
The dispute matters as an example of how informal financial arrangements between partners can turn into costly legal battles once a relationship ends, with courts having to untangle years of shared spending without a clear written contract. It also illustrates the financial risk of such litigation, since the losing side can be ordered to cover a large share of the other party's legal costs.