The boss of Champneys Health Spa has called on the Government to allow spas, swimming pools and gyms to reopen as they provide significant health benefits.
Stephen Purdew said his industry had been ‘unfairly ostracised’ by ministers during the pandemic, especially with pubs and restaurants reopening in days.
In an interview, the 60-year-old tycoon revealed he had suffered from Covid-19 but is now recuperating at a spa in Austria because his own venues are forced to stay closed.
Split: Stephen and Isabelle Purdew are divorcing but remain very close. A firm favourite of the late Princess Diana’s, the multi-million pound business is run by Mr Purdew and his mother Dorothy
Mr Purdew said he had lost millions of pounds as a result of the pandemic.
He also revealed he and his wife are still close friends despite their recent separation and may eventually get back together.
Champneys, often referred to as ‘spas to the stars’, is a chain of luxury venues in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Hampshire, Leicestershire, Cheshire and Kent.
A firm favourite of the late Princess Diana’s, the multi-million pound business is run by Mr Purdew and his mother Dorothy.
But despite reportedly being worth £100million, Mr Purdew said the Covid-19 crisis had destroyed much of the hard work he has put in over 40 years.
Lockdown has already cost Champneys £10million and on average it is losing £1.5million for every month it is shut.
Luxurious: Indoor swimming pool at Champneys Henlow Spa in Bedfordshire. While Mr Purdew is confident his business will survive thanks to support from the banks and Government, he insisted his staff and suppliers will suffer if the spas cannot reopen
He is now urging the Government to include spas and gym facilities in the easing of lockdown measures as he believes they are vital to public health.
Mr Purdew said: ‘We want to get back to work, and there’s such a demand for what we do. People are chomping at the bit to come to our spas. We are fighting a disease that has primarily attacked people with obesity, and we’ve got gyms and spas with weight loss programmes closed.’
Champneys has had to furlough 1,200 staff and make a further 260 redundant.
While Mr Purdew is confident his business will survive thanks to support from the banks and Government, he insisted his staff and suppliers will suffer if the spas cannot reopen.
He had hoped to reopen at the start of August but ministers have not provided details of how to do so safely, meaning a September date now looks more likely.
He said: ‘40 years of me working has been completely destroyed by this virus in four months.
‘All the striving to get standards and connect with staff and get team morale… everything we do….the heritage has been completely smashed into.’
Mr Purdew added: ‘It’s been devastating, we don’t believe the Government has dealt with it properly.’ According to guidance, spas and gyms are considered ‘close proximity’ venues where the risk of coronavirus transmission is high.
But Mr Purdew insisted his business is as safe as any pub, restaurant or cinema.
He said: ‘There’s no area of our service that we feel is any different to anything else that’s been reopened. We have massive buildings, lots of facilities, and 120 people in the building.
‘Person per square foot is a lot less than is on Brighton beach or is in a shopping centre or is on a Tube (train). It’s monstrous.’
The coronavirus crisis has come amid a turbulent time for Mr Purdew who announced in May that he and his wife, 39-year-old former model Isabelle, are divorcing.
The couple, who have two children aged 13 and nine, married at St George’s Church in Mayfair in March 2009. But Mr Purdew has now cast doubt over the permanence of the split, admitting they still live in the same resort.
The couple, who have two children aged 13 and nine, married at St George’s Church in Mayfair in March 2009. But Mr Purdew has now cast doubt over the permanence of the split, admitting they still live in the same resort
He joked: ‘I can see her front door from my bedroom window! While we are divorcing we are not really separating.’
He added: ‘She’s a lovely, lovely human being, a beautiful lady and she thinks the world of me.
‘We just don’t want to live together, we might just get divorced, have a break and get back. You never know but at the moment we need a break-up.
‘We should have worked harder, but by the time it got to that stage, it was too late.’
He added that Isabelle would be continuing in her role as head of retail at the Champneys resorts.
On top of his divorce and business woes, Mr Purdew also revealed he had a bout of Covid-19. He said: ‘I’ve had corona, I had it at the beginning of March.
‘I’ve got a number of staff that tested positive but nobody has been very sick. It was very mild, I had a temperature, felt pretty down and had a bit of a tight chest but that was it. I was quite weak for a month after but didn’t realise why – I thought it was just stress.’
Mr Purdew is currently at a health spa in Austria, which is relatively unscathed by coronavirus.
He said: ‘It’s my industry, so I want to learn what we do. We have to come to these places to learn a lot to bring back to our resorts.’
Mr Purdew said his two-week stay had given him a chance to ‘reflect’ on his recent struggles.
He added: ‘Having your business hit by this and going through a divorce… it’s been very hard.’