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Pimlico Plumbers multi-millionaire Charlie Mullins and his fiancée Rachel ‘RaRa’ Leavesley ended up high and dry when they encountered a blockage and he drove his Rolls-Royce on to a bollard.
The former boss and founder of the multi-million-pound plumbing empire said he tried to let another car past during traffic chaos caused by closures and diversions in London‘s West End at the weekend for a cycle race.
But not having seen the bollard and driven over it, the £450,000 Rolls-Royce Cullinan, with its distinctive personalised number plate CH4RLE, became firmly stuck and had to be removed by a breakdown truck.
‘I was taking [RaRa] to an appointment in Dover Street and had to take one road as loads of roads were shut for Ride London,’ said Mr Mullins, 70.
‘A Jeep was coming in the opposite direction. There were some vehicles parked up and I thought the gap was a bit tight so I moved over to let him through.
Charlie Mullins with his private numberplate on a Bentley before it was transferred to a Rolls-Royce
‘Next thing I knew I was jammed up on the bollard. Luckily, I was going really slowly or else I guess the car could have shot up in the air.
‘We tried to reverse off but it was stuck! The only thing to do was call for someone to come and tow it away.
‘We waited around and it did seem to give people a laugh that this Rolls-Royce was stuck on a bollard.
‘The guy driving the Jeep stopped to make sure we were all right and I told him it was fine.
‘Eventually the breakdown truck arrived and we decided the Roller wasn’t safe to drive.
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The couple eventually took a taxi home.
Mr Mullins’ Rolls-Royce became jammed on the bollard after he gave way to a Jeep
Worth an estimated £70million, Mr Mullins was philosophical about his expensive brush with London’s street furniture.
‘It’s going into Rolls-Royce for repairs today, so I don’t know what the damage will be. It doesn’t seem to be too bad, but it will probably cost a few quid.
‘I drive along there a few times a month and I have never even noticed the bollard. A guy there said quite a few motors have ended up stuck on it.
‘It’s a bit annoying, but there you are – it is what it is!’
The entrepreneur has other things on his mind after popping the question to singer Rachel, 32, last year, for what will be his third marriage.
The couple live together in a £10million Thames-side apartment in London. Mullins sold Pimlico Plumbers last year and is pursuing a career as a media personality
He said he was often mistaken for Rod Stewart, adding: ‘People do recognise me for the hair these days and call me Rod, which I don’t mind at all.’
Mr Mullins has just filmed a pilot for a show called the Naked Millionaire, in which he has to build a business from scratch. There is also a possible reality TV show in the pipeline for him and his fiancée.
