07 March 2023 , 10:10
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A billionaire businessman is expecting his seventh child as he and his partner have announced they are expecting a "surprise baby girl" who will be arriving "very soon".
Phones 4u co-founder John Caudwell and Modesta Vzesniauskaite made the announcement as she travels from Staffordshire to Monaco to give birth to the couple's second child together.
They welcomed their son, William John, in 2021 after struggling to conceive for three years.
Mr Caudwell, 70, is already a father to Rebekah, 42, Libby, 34, Rufus, 25, Scarlett, 20, and Jacobi, 18.
And former Lithuanian Olympic cyclist Vzesniauskaite, 39, has an 11-year-old son Leonardo from her first marriage.
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Sharing the happy news alongside a sweet 3D scan on Twitter, Mr Caudwell asked his followers for suggestions for a middle name.
He said: "Our baby girl is due this month.
ohn Caudwell and Modesta Vzesniauskaite attend the BAFTA Film Awards 2023 Nominees Party (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images f)
The Olympian already has two boys (Getty Images)"Based on the latest scan, she's ready to come out soon! @Vzesniauskaite and I have a first name but aren't sure about a middle one.
"Feel free to suggest girls’ names that sound good with Caudwell. Libby, Rebekah and Scarlett are already taken!"
He had earlier tweeted: "In amongst all the book launch interviews, @Vzesniauskaite and I also have some exciting personal news: we're expecting another baby.
"Come March, two years after the arrival of our first child together, William John, he and Leonardo will have a baby sister.
"This pregnancy was something of a surprise, especially as we tried for three years with William.
John Caudwell with his family (ugc)"But we are both so excited to meet our new daughter and for her to meet William, Leo and all her siblings.
"As @Vzesniauskaite says, dreams came true. Modesta is a wonderful mother.
"But, of course, raising a girl is very different from raising boys. I can’t wait to see her bonding with and parenting our much-longed-for daughter."
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The couple share their time between homes in Staffordshire, Monaco and London, as well as trips on their yacht Titania.
Modesta Vzesniauskaite with little William John (ugc)Mr Caudwell revealed that Modesta is preparing for their baby's birth in Monaco while he is looking after William and Leonardo at Broughton Hall near Eccleshall.
Modesta's Lithuanian family were welcomed to Broughton Hall for an extravagant baby shower last month.
Modesta told Hello! magazine: “We weren’t planning to have another child at all so it was a beautiful surprise."
Mr Caudwell, who grew up in Wellesley Street, Shelton, attended Shelton Church of England School and then Berry Hill High School before abandoning his A-levels to become an apprentice at Michelin and later becoming a second-hand car dealer.
With his brother Brian, in 1987 John registered Midland Mobile Phones as a mobile phone wholesaler taking 26 Motorola mobiles at £1,350 each.
John Caudwell at the Be Kind Awards (Stoke Sentinel)It took eight months to sell all 26 phones to plumbers, taxi drivers and television repairmen at a price of £2,000 each. The company made a loss every month for the first two years of operations.
However, the business then grew exponentially and he sold Phones4u in 2006 for just under £1.5 billion. He has since concentrated on his charity work including setting up Stoke-based Caudwell Children.
He has pledged to leave 70 per cent of his wealth to charity.