• Arun Nayar is a 54-year-old entrepreneur and businessman, known for being the heir to one of the biggest textile firms in India
• His net worth is over $200 million
• He was born in Yorkshire, England and is of Indian-German ethnicity; he is fluent in English, Hindi, Italian and German
• He was married to Valentina Pedroni from 1997 to 2005 and to Elizabeth Hurley from 2007 to 2011
• He is married to Kim Johnson since 2016; his hobbies include playing golf and reading books and his favorite actor is Salman Khan
Who is Arun Nayar?
Arun Nayar was born in December of 1964 in Leeds, Yorkshire, England, and is an entrepreneur businessman, known for being the heir to one of the biggest textile firms in India. He’s also the founder and CEO of Direction Software Solutions. Moreover, Arun is popular as the ex-husband of famous English actress and model Elizabeth Hurley.
How rich is he, as of now? Net Worth and Assets
Arun Nayar’s net worth is over $200 million, accumulated from his successful business ventures in the textile industry since 1982. His wealth includes such assets as homes located in Germany, France and the capital of England.
Early Life, Nationality, Ethnicity, Educational Background
Arun Nayar is the son of Vinod Nayar, who hails from India, and Gunnar, who was born in Germany. He was raised in a council estate in Leeds, Yorkshire, since his father studied there. Following the birth of his younger brother, named Nikhil Nayar, the family eventually moved to India. After the divorce of their parents, Arun and Nikhil stayed with their mother. Arun has Indian nationality and is of Indian-German ethnicity; he belongs to the Hinduism religion.
Educational Background
Being the owner of a successful textile company enabled his mother Gunnar to pay tuition for her children at the high-ranking Cathedral and John Connon School. At the age of 16, Arun returned to England to board at the prestigious Millfield School.
While there, he distinguished himself as a student with excellent grades, which then led him to become a student at Oxford University, graduating with a B.Sc. degree in Physics. Thereafter, he enrolled into Imperial College, London, from which he earned an MA degree in Physics. Arun is fluent not only in English and Hindi, but also in Italian and German.
Family Business and Professional Career
Arun Nayar’s mother Gunnar decided to launch the textile company back in the 1970s. Over time, the company became one of the biggest textile companies in India, which eventually earned Arun a jet-set reputation in Mumbai. , Arun joined the family business right after he completed his education, but thereafter he also established his own business, Direction Software Solutions, a software services and IT consulting company, which he serves as the CEO.
Appearance and Vital Statistics
Arun has short dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. His height is 5ft 7ins (1.70m), he weighs about 120lbs (55kgs), with vital statistics of 40-34-35, biceps size – 12ins
Ex-Wife Valentina Pedroni
Arun Nayar met his first wife, Valentina Pedroni, an Italian fashion model, while he was on holiday in St. Moritz, Switzerland back in 1991. They were married from 1997 until 2005, but separated three years before their divorce was finalized. Valentina received over $6 million as a divorce settlement.
Relationship with Elizabeth Hurley
Arun became romantically involved in a relationship with Elizabeth Hurley just after he separated from Valentina. They were spotted in public for the first time in January of 2003, when they appeared together at the Christian Dior fashion show in Paris, France.
Arun and Elizabeth have a Hindu Wedding Ceremony
Although the couple eventually tied the knot at a ceremony held at Sudeley Castle in March 2007, they also had a Hindu wedding ceremony, on which they spent over $2.5 million, and which took a place at Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India. The bride wore a jewel-encrusted sari, value over $4,000, while her hands and feet were decorated with henna designs. After the ceremony, they continued with a traditional party at Meherangarh Fort.
Separation and Divorce
Arun adopted Hurley’s son from her previous relationship. Their residence was on a 400-acre organic farm located in Barnsley, Gloucestershire. However, Arun and Elizabeth went their separate ways after just three years of marriage. In April of 2011, she filed for divorce, citing as the main reason his ‘unreasonable behavior’, and the divorce was finalized in June that year.
Life after Divorce, Hobbies and Favorites
Following his divorce from Elizabeth, Arun Nayar moved on with his life and started dating Kim Johnson in 2012; she is 20 years younger than Arun, and a professional fashion model. They eventually married four years later, on the 30th July.
In his spare time, Arun enjoys playing golf and reading books. His favorite actor and actress are Salman Khan and Jennifer Lawrence. He also enjoys traveling – his favorite destination is London.
Ex-Wife Elizabeth Hurley
Elizabeth Jane Hurley was born on the 10 June of 1965 under the sign of Gemini, in Basingstoke, Hampshire, England, and is an actress and model. Her father, Roy Leonard Hurley, served as a major in the Royal Army Educational Corps, while her mother, Angela Mary, worked as a teacher at Kempshott Junior School. Elizabeth has two siblings – an elder sister named Kathleen and younger brother named Andrews. She went to Harriet Costello School, and was involved in New Age travelers. She also attended ballet classes, and later became a student at the London Studio Centre, however, she was banished after going AWOL in 1986.
Modeling Career
Elizabeth Hurley became a professional model in 1995, when she was chosen to serve as a spokes model for the Estée Lauder cosmetics company, so made appearances in advertising commercials for the company’s fragrances, including “Tuscany per Donna”, “Dazzling”, and “Pleasures”.
After being replaced by Carolyn Murphy, Elizabeth continued collaborating with Estée Lauder, and in addition appeared in ads for such brands as Shiatzy Chen, Monsoon, Patrick Cox, and Jordache, as well as gracing the cover of the British issue of “Vogue” magazine three times. Moreover, in 2005, Elizabeth launched her own line of beachwear via Harrods , while she designed the 12 swimsuits collection for MANGO in 2008.
Significant Film Appearances
Elizabeth made her debut as Marietta in the 1987 anthology film “Aria”, followed by her portrayal of Claire Clairmont in the Spanish drama film “Rowing With The Wind” in 1988 – the film follows the relationship between Percy, Lord Byron and Mary Shelley at the time she wrote the novel “Frankenstein”. It was directed by Gonzalo Suárez, and rewarded with seven Goya Awards.
Elizabeth’s big break came in 1997, when she landed the role of Vanessa Kensington in the spy comedy film “Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery”, for which she won the 1997 ShoWest Supporting Actress of the Year. Her other significant film roles include as the Devil in Harold Ramis’ 2000 remake of the 1967 film “Bedazzled”, and Rebecca in Duncan Roy’s thriller “Method”, for which she was also the executive producer.
Elizabeth appeared in a steady stream of films over the next 20 years, without setting the entertainment world on fire. Most recently, in 2024 she played Lily in “Strictly Confidential”, which she also produced.
Career on Television
Elizabeth’s first major role on television came in 1988, when she was cast in the title role of the BBC2 four-part drama mini-series “Christabel”, based on the life of English writer Christabel Bielenberg. In 1996, she featured as Delilah in the TNT history drama film “Samson And Delilah”, co-starring with Dennis Hopper.
In 2011 and 2012, Elizabeth starred in the recurring role of Diana Payne in The CW teen drama series “Gossip Girl”, created by Stephanie Savage and Josh Schwartz, and was then cast as Queen Helena in the E! primetime soap-opera “The Royals”, appearing in 40 episodes from 2015 to 2018. Most recently, Elizabeth joined the cast of the Hulu adventure superhero series “Runaways” in 2019, portraying fictional supervillain Morgan le Fay, and in 2021 played the title role in “Welcome to Georgia”.
Personal Life before Her Marriage to Arun Nayar and Son
In 1987, Elizabeth started dating famous Hollywood star Hugh Grant. They were together for 13 years and then announced their break-up in May of 2000. Four years later, she gave birth to her first child, a son named Damian Charles Hurley, with businessman Steve Bing. Although he denied paternity, a DNA test confirmed it – her ex-boyfriend Hugh Grand is the godfather of her son.
Party time #Herefordshire 😘😘😘 pic.twitter.com/zVuNGfZLcj
— Elizabeth Hurley (@ElizabethHurley) September 28, 2019
Life after Divorce and Charity Work
Following divorce from Arun Nayar in 2011, Elizabeth Hurley started a relationship with Shane Warne, and they even became engaged during the same year; he is a former professional cricket player from Australia. However, the couple ended their engagement in December of 2013. He died of a heart attack in 2022, aged just 53.
Elizabeth collaborates with various charities, such as the Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign of Estée Lauder, ARK Children’s Charity, Elton John AIDS Foundation, End Hunger Network, etc. She also serves as an ambassador for the children’s charity Hop Skip and Jump.
