SOCIALITE Victoria Baker-Harber is mostly known for her catty remarks while appearing on Made in Chelsea.
But now the 37-year-old has opened up about her time ‘on the run’ with her fugitive husband, who was behind the ‘largest art fraud in American history.‘
Victoria made herself a household name while appearing on the reality TV show Made in Chelsea[/caption]
The reality TV star admitted that living off-grid while the FBI attempted to track down her partner Inigo Philbrick, 38, wasn’t so bad after all.
In a new documentary with the BBC, the now infamous swindler has been caught and sentenced to seven years in prison and ordered to pay £80 million in fraud restitution.
But despite the severity of her lover’s crimes, Victoria claims their time in hiding was ‘great’.
Inigo was exposed as a serial swindler in 2019, but the pair were living a luxurious lifestyle, partying in the Greek island of Mykonos to St Tropez, funded by the art dealers ‘selling and reselling shares’ in paintings worth millions.
The couple eventually found themselves in the remote island of Vanuatu in the Pacific Ocean in early 2020, when the pandemic hit.
They were left confined on their idyllic abode, with Victoria saying: “We arrive on this island on the other side of the world and then it suddenly did feel like, ‘God we’re so far away.’
“It did feel like we’d run away.”
She said that at first, it was ‘not as she’d imagined it’, adding that ‘it was just a million miles away from anything that I’d ever experienced’.
Victoria, who is used to 5-star holidays, admitted she wasn’t used to the more casual life the island had in store for her.
“Abattoir lighting and sound of mosquitoes…. I did have moments where I was like, I can’t do this,” Victoria continued. “Like this is so not my life.
but it soon came crashing down when the FBI stormed the island to find Inigo[/caption]
“I guess it was the beginning of the end of the adventure – but it was the beginning of a new adventure.”
“Victoria is ultra aware of class and what’s luxury and what isn’t,” Inigo, shared in the programme, he is currently on a supervised release since 2024.
By March of 2020, the couple had been on the run for four months and Victoria revealed everything began to fall into place.
The pair didn’t have a driving license while on the island, Victoria revealed the pair ‘conned their way’ into getting one.
No one could chase him even if they wanted to – and Inigo was happy.
Victoria Baker-Harber
She said the cut-off life was just what they needed to live a healthier lifestyle.
“It was a very like clean, healthy way of living – especially in comparison to how we’d lived at moments before,” Victoria revealed.
“We were playing tennis, we were swimming,” Inigo added, also revealing the pair had adopted a dog.
Victoria, who joined Inigo on the plane from Miami when his scam was exposed, said the change in her husband was immense.
“He was not this person who was anxiously pacing around on the phone all the time,” she shared. “It was a completely different Inigo.
“We were in a country on an island which has absolutely nothing coming in and out. No one could chase him even if they wanted to – and Inigo was happy.”
But this all changed on June 11 2020 when the loved-up pair, who were now expecting their first child, were walking along the island to find some dessert.
“We were just like pottering around,” Victoria recalls.
“His face just went white and they were all standing there and it looked like, from what I remember, it was bulletproof vests.
You could say he’s a criminal but like, who hasn’t done something illegal?
Victoria Baker-Harber
“They said, ‘Are you Inigo Philbrick?’ And he said yes. And then suddenly more men came in with bulletproof vests on. They’re like, ‘You’re coming with us.’”
Inigo was then placed into a car and Victoria insisted she would join and followed in a car behind him.
The pair were initially driven to the airport where she then saw Inigo being ‘marched’ to a jet – something she initially thought was an ‘abduction’.
Victoria sits outside the airfield where Inigo Philbrick was removed from Vanuatu[/caption]
“I didn’t know who had sent this plane,” Victoria said. “Whether it was Russians, Saudis… Mafia. I just thought – remember this tail number.”
Victoria was able to track down the plane owner and realised it was often used by the US government and Inigo was being extradited.
Inigo was then on trial and sentenced to prison and ordered to pay £80 million he owed.
He is yet to pay off the money he owes and even claims to not know where the money is.
“I’m obviously in no position to do anything other than say how sorry I am,” he said.
“But there is a small part of me that thinks: what about all the good deals?”
Defending her husband, Victoria also added: “You could say he’s a criminal but like, who hasn’t done something illegal?
“But when you play at such a high end of life there are huge risks and gambles that people take and some get away with them.”
Reality TV salaries revealed
Towie:
Cast members are put into four pay bands based on their popularity.
Reality veterans Bobby Norris, James ‘Diags’ Bennewith, Georgia Kousoulou, and Chloe Sims were in the top tier, which meant they commanded £450 an episode.
Others were paid £350, £250 or £90 if they were a newcomer trying to prove their worth.
Geordie Shore:
The MTV show reportedly paid cast members £1,000-a-month for their wild antics in the early days of the show.
Veteran Sophie Kasaei revealed the cast had to work other jobs to supplement their income.
She said: “When we first started the show we got absolutely nothing.
“The most we ever got was £1000 a month and we couldn’t survive on that, obviously after tax as well.
“Most of us worked at the call centre because in Newcastle there’s a lot of call centres because we can sell you the dream, we’re very friendly and warm and trustworthy.
Gogglebox:
Each household is paid the same monthly allowance of £1,500.
A show insider revealed the fee is then split amongst contributors at their own discretion.
They also get to tuck into a free takeaway of their choice twice a week to keep them fuelled during long filming sessions.
The armchair critics have to watch 12 hours of telly a week in total – which is divided into two six-hour stints.
I’m A Celebrity:
The jungle show is a jewel in ITV’s crown with a bumper budget to boot. Payments are tailored to the individual, with the greater their fame or controversy factor, the bigger the cheque.
Nigel Farage reportedly bagged £1.5m for the last series – the most in its history.
While eventual series winner Sam Thompson was a snip at £80,000. This Morning’s Josie Gibson is said to have pocketed £100k while Britney’s sister Jamie Lynn received an impressive £250k.