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Snobs drove me out of London, says global charity fundraiser
Sri Carmichael, Consumer Affairs Reporter12 Nov 2009
She counts A-list stars including George Clooney, Justin Timberlake and Cindy Crawford as close friends and is a globally successful charity fundraiser.
But Diana Jenkins, the former Bosnian refugee married to Britain's highest-paid financier, told how she spent years being treated "like an Eastern European mail-order bride" by London society.
She said the "snobbery" she encountered in the capital after marrying Roger, the former £40million-a-year head of Barclays' tax avoidance division, hit her husband hard and left her feeling "unfulfilled, empty, almost dirty".
For the first time she describes how she became so fed up with the city's elitism she fled for California with the couple's two children, Innis, 11, and Eneya, seven, to begin an unusual but successful transatlantic family set-up.
Speaking of her entry to London's party circuit 10 years ago, she said: "[The rich wives] treated me like I was an Eastern European mail-order bride. I realised that, unfortunately, with social girls if you have a big diamond ring they will talk to you, so I wore a diamond ring. My lovely husband bought me a diamond ring. It hurt him to see how snobbily I was treated."
She told Tatler magazine she realised at a charity gala that she was bored with London society.
"I looked around the room and thought, 'What am I doing here with all these people? I'd rather be at home eating pizza in my pyjamas.' I felt really unfulfilled, empty, almost dirty." She said she enjoys and "respects" money, but believes "you have to have your priorities right first".
"No kid wants the private plane first - they want their parents," she said. "That's where all those social girls get it so wrong. My kids would rather be with me in a shack than with a stranger in a private plane who calls themselves a mother."
The 36-year-old moved to America soon afterwards, putting away her jewellery when she arrived.
Her husband, 52, credits her with charming the Qatari royal family into parting with the £7.3 billion that saved Barclays at the height of the credit crunch. She is in charge of what they call "the Roger brand".
Mr Jenkins, describing how she has transformed his career from banker to global financier through her social networking, said: "I wouldn't be where I am today without her. I can do anything now. I surrender to her better judgment on people and business. She has fantastic intuition in business. She's pushed me through a lot of doors and given me a lot of strength. She has battled my battles for me for 10 years."
Her first solo venture was a range of health drinks called Neuro launched this year, already a favourite with Sir Elton John and Jimmy Choo shoe designer Tamara Mellon.
Recently she also found time to mastermind a party at the couple's £30million Berkeley Square home to raise £10million for Darfur's refugees, with a guest list that included Matt Damon, Sir Michael Caine, Bono, Scarlett Johansson and the Duchess of York.
Mrs Jenkins escaped Sarajevo in 1993 as the former Yugoslavia descended into violence, leaving behind her parents and younger brother, who was killed eight days before the war ended.
Determined to make a life for herself, she lived in Brixton, scraping enough money cleaning and waitressing to put herself through English language night classes and university.
The full version of this article is in the December issue of Tatler, on sale from tomorrow.
Reader views (27)
British people just love themselves a bit too much, it's that simple. I spent years in London trying to fit in. It didn't work.
Next time you go on holiday, take a look around and see which nationality is least interested in interacting with other nationalities. It's pathological.
40% of the people in London may have been born outside of the UK, but the average middle class Brit does not have a single one of them on their Facebook list.
Good luck to Mrs Jenkins, and any spare Green Cards this way please!
- Johnny F, London, UK, 12/11/2009 16:24
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This Woman was using a fake name and gained a reputation for chasing wealthy men. London society just didn't fall for the act she put on, after all nobody likes a phoney and a goldigger.
- Diana Hamilton, London, 11/11/2009 22:51
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Move to California (probably Hollywood or Malibu) to have quiet life??? You must be joking!!! If you want quiet life you definitely do not move to California, worst place for that on earth.
This girl is full of herself, typical attention seeker. She move there so she can mingle with that kind of society more.
Just please take your "high ranking" hausband with you, that will save us lot of money he got for nothing.
- Charlie, London, UK, 11/11/2009 22:12
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If this woman thinks she will have more luck in the US, she can forget about it. In reality the US is not that open to foreigners, let along foreigners who flash their money. Fundamentally the US is a merit-based society where success is respected if it comes out of hard work. Why do you think the Beckhams are having such a hard time there? For the reason that Americans like any culture resent outsiders coming in and pretending that they can be accepted because of their possessions rather than what someone has truly earned out of honest work.
- A, London, UK, 11/11/2009 22:00
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She sounds ghastly, and so do her solo projects.
If she is looking around a room thinking how she'd rather be at home scoffing pizza, and taking an attitude that her child-rearing skills are superior to those around her, well I guess that would show on her face.
Why did she think that these socialites would be anything other than vacuous, attention seeking, pushy snobs like herself? Anyone with any respect would have walked away from people she thought valued her only for the expensive ring on her finger. Touch of Becky Sharp syndrome ,perhaps - how appropriate for a Vanity Fair article!
- Jane Rochester, london england, 11/11/2009 16:59
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If she is as intelligent as she would like to think, why does she need the approval of snobs?
- Beatriz, London, 11/11/2009 16:31
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Well she certainly looks like one !
- Watson, London UK, 11/11/2009 16:22
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OOh and they say women are jealous and bitter - Frank home counties Thomas and Ferranto!!!Why the nasty 'good riddance' comments? Is it because she is pretty and rich and seemingly intelligent? or are you three just sad men who can't get any woman, let alone a woman like that? whatever it is its sad............
- Kh, London UK, 11/11/2009 15:12
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When you find you have the whole world living in your city you cannot expect anything less.
- Eddie, London, 11/11/2009 14:13
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A lot of people in this wonderful city are xenophobic and ignorant. They usually try to cover up their own inadequacies by treating others with disdain and disrespect. They prey on foreigners, who are often a hundred times better educated and on British people from less moneyed backgrounds.
The best thing to do is to avoid these idiots.
This is a big world full of interesting people. Give yourself a big change in direction; soon you will forget the nerds.
That woman was right ot leave. I bet she is happier now.
- L M, London UK, 11/11/2009 13:44
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Most people prefer discretion but this ones into major bling. Some americans may like that but I guess no more than any Europeans.
Ivana Trump is teh example to follow lady, and if Barclays are relying on you for survival then it's time their board resigned en masse, and everyone moved ther money from their to the other banks.
Go sulk elswhere no one knows you or cares what you think. The class system is as rife as ever in the UK, and there can be some value in that the chain can work when X factor z listers are treated like near royalty we can all now see the whole country has gone to pot. Well done Crash Brown and Labour you have screwed up the UK for generations to come.
- Robert Marshall, LONDON, 11/11/2009 13:22
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She sounds like a terrible pushy, social climber who is totally taken in and impressed by money and bling.
We reap what we sow. I wonder if Serbians understand this adage?
- Margy, London, 11/11/2009 13:09
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It's hard enough being a northerner in London and dealing with the snobbery and cold shoulder treatment that the locals mete out to their fellow Brits. I lost count of how many sarcastic comments I put up with from snotty Londoners when I lived there. I hate to think what it must be like as a foreigner. So what if she's rich and beautiful, good luck to her. I can certainly see why she left.
- Matt, Manchester UK, 11/11/2009 12:44
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She sounds like a nice woman, who has her priorities in the right order: husband, children, home etc. come first.
And she is right about so-called London society. I have met some of the people she describes, and they are a bunch of money-hungry, status-obsessed idiots. Never underestimate the snobbery of the British nouveau riches, these are the people who ignore you at parties until they find out who your husband is, then they make a beeline for you to become your new 'best friend'.
I'm sure Diana Jenkins will find the US far more congenial.
- Sarahn, London, UK, 11/11/2009 12:36
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Well said Diana.
She's come from being a war-zone refugee doing work for minimal wage to being the love of your husbands life and highly succesful.
This woman has my respect. Also she worked out that the rich chattering classs are a bunch of insecure people best avoided, less well off people are full of jealously, successful people in the UK are treated like pariahs and that happiness is found in the home.
Best of luck to her.
- Joseph Yossarian, London, 11/11/2009 12:35
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Goodbye and good riddance. If only your husband would join you ...
- Nick, Battersea, 11/11/2009 12:26
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This woman sounds totally vile. She is only interested in hersef and mixing in with the A List crowd.
Considering her background (the war torn country and living in Brixton) you would have thought she would do something far more proactive than swanning around with a celeb crowd.
What exactly is the point of this article? Why bother doing the interview....oh yes off course....it's publicity for her!
- Steve, London, 11/11/2009 12:10
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Truly ghastly people, noveau riche at their worst!!!!
- Ronald, Winchmore Hill, Middlesex, 11/11/2009 12:04
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It's a hard life!
- Michael, London, 11/11/2009 11:06
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People, get a grip and stop eating the sour grapes as it's not working...
I say good for them... I wish I had the desire, self esteem and sheer determination these have...
Commenting on Ferranto... You have to have something to offer in terms of personality and brains not just a diamond ring bought by hubby.... do you know these English Rich People? I do and I can tell you they are not charming, they are not witty and they certainly are not clever... they see a ring and bingo... they come in for the kill... the first thing they want to know is how much money do you have and if they have more than you, they walk off... call that charming?
I for one, think they both look fantastic and I would swap with them anyday...
- Lee, London, 11/11/2009 10:41
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A picture speaks a thousand words.
- Lance Johnson, Canterbury, Kent, 11/11/2009 10:13
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She is clearly very bored with life to come out with this....what a complete loser. I feel sorry for her.
- Harvey, New York, 11/11/2009 10:06
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The British has always been a class society.The wealthy believe they have more entitlement to the countries wealth and a royalty way of live than anyone else.If you see the movie Titanic,you will note evan back in those days,the rich have more right to life than the poor.Class is important to the snobs of this country.its the British version of Apartheid,wealth instead of race.You ,although were part of the establishment,would always have been seen as an outsider,known in their turns as "NEW MONEY",you therefore never really belonged in the class,and its the way the British snobs run their elite society.
- Dave, london, 11/11/2009 10:03
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Thank God for snobs. Good riddance to her.
- Thomas, London, 11/11/2009 09:57
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Boob tube, skin-tight pants and fake tan isn't the best look if you're trying to come over as upmarket and sophisticated....And posh people don't talk about their money or their A-lister 'friends'....
- Neil Amis, Fulham, London, 11/11/2009 09:33
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".. the former £40million-a-year head of Barclays' tax avoidance division .."
Good riddance.
- Frank, Home Counties, England., 11/11/2009 09:01
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This woman is better off in Malibu. You have to be a bit more than just rich to cut it in English society; like, interesting, cultured, knowledgeable about something? You have to have something to offer in terms of personality and brains not just a diamond ring bought by hubby.
- Ferranto, London UK, 11/11/2009 08:44
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