THE mystery man who is now the proud owner of Katie Price’s ‘cursed’ Mucky Mansion has finally been revealed.
James Mercer, a leading furniture tycoon and divorced father-of-two, snapped up t he run-down West Sussex home back in January after Katie was booted out as part of her bankruptcy .
The house, which boasts nine bedrooms, became notorious whilst under Katie’s ownership due to its run-down and dilapidated state as well as a series of dramatic issues and legal challenges which took place at the residence.
62-year-old James, originally from Northern Ireland, splashed out £1.15million for the former home of the Pricey and is currently putting it through extensive renovations to make it fit for purpose once more.
He admitted to the Daily Mail that the home’s previous owner had left it “mucky” and in need of work.
It is believed that James purchased the home as part of a fresh start with his partner, Leike Qu, who is a co-owner of the house.
James has been with Leike since splitting from his wife and the mother of his kids who has remained in Northern Ireland following their break-up.
Speaking for the first time about owning one of Britain’s most famous houses , Leike told the Mail: “We are just very ordinary and quiet people who fell in love with this country house.”
The couple are believed to have set aside a substantial amount of money in order to renovate the property with work already underway on turning it into a dream residence once more.
Construction work is ongoing with scaffolding surrounding the mansion.
Katie made a loss on the home with James paying around £200,000 less than Katie originally paid for the home.
This is due to the star failing to find a buyer at the advertised price due to its conditions.
The former glamour model had also previously bragged in interviews that the West Sussex mansion was worth a cool £2million.
Katie will not see a penny of the proceeds if this sale if it does complete, as she no longer owns it.
The mum-of-five was forced out of the dilapidated house in May after failing to meet payments on two mortgages .
Katie was served an eviction notice following her second bankruptcy.
As a result, any money made against the house will be swallowed up by the debts she ran up against it while living there.
In 2022, the star’s attempts to renovate the home featured in Channel 4 ‘s Katie Price: Mucky Mansion .
The show was eventually axed after two series’, shortly before Katie was ordered to move out of the house via an eviction order.
After the bank took possession, the Mucky Mansion – which sits in 12 acres of land – was put up for sale with a price tag of £1.5million.
However, the asking price was later slashed in a bid to get it sold. The price was cut for a second time in October.
The swimming pool was left empty with many of the home’s rooms in desperate need of renovation.
Katie also faced personal tragedy at the house with a multitude of her animals dying whilst living there.
Both her horse and her German Shepherd were killed at the home as well as a dog she bought for Princess.
