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This intriguing mix of unpretentiousness and spending power makes Dasha an exciting enigma. She talks in a Valley girl drawl, and is prone to describe things as “brutal”. To her loyal subjects — who also include Jenson Button’s ex-girlfriend Florence Brudenell-Bruce and the toff playboy Ed Spencer-Churchill — she is extremely generous. “She’s happy to share her staff,” says one friend. “She’ll often go home early and let everyone take her driver, and she’ll have friends to stay in her hotel room. She is constantly moving, whether it’s Moscow, Paris, New York or the south of France — she doesn’t stay anywhere. And when she’s with Roman, she’s with Roman. Friends don’t come along.”

Quite how Abramovich came to be involved with the lithe 26-year-old remains a mystery — but it is said they were brought together through a shared love of football, meeting at a Champions League game between Barcelona and Chelsea. Around her shy boyfriend, she is reserved. The relationship has reportedly been far from smooth, with suggestions in the Russian press that he gets annoyed with her spending and doesn’t like going to the fashion and art events she enjoys. Certainly, her relationship with Safin was stormy: “We used to fight, break up, get back together again. It was all quite hectic,” he said after the split.

One fashion editor recalls bumping into Dasha and Abramovich in the south of France last summer. “We were all queuing for a restaurant when they arrived in a Wally, a super-slick black tender from the big boat. They were dressed down in Ralph Lauren and happy to queue alongside us for a table. I was with a bunch of models and it became obvious Roman appreciates a pretty woman. I wasn’t sure if Dasha was okay with this.

“On another occasion, she arrived with Roman, again dressed down, in a floral dress and no make-up. There wasn’t much chemistry between them — not much laughter. Maybe that’s a Russian thing. Overall, I thought she was very grown-up and composed for her age, and took her for a 35-year-old.”

Still, they seem to be strong for the time being, and goodness knows what kind of party Dasha might throw if they got married. Unconfirmed reports in Russia have been speculating that preparations for a huge wedding are under way, with six parties planned around the world. Dasha apparently wants a ceremony in the Maldives, with a low-key party in Moscow in October, after her gallery opens. The biggest wedding party is being planned for London. We live in hope.

And for the future? “Young Russian girls have a new role model,” says a friend of Dasha. “They want to grow up and be like her. She’s hot and she’s cool — she’s got the fashion line, the flash friends, the art gallery and, of course, the gazillionaire.” 1

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