Michael Portillo Net Worth: His Career, Life and Earnings
Michael Porillo net worth will amaze you if you have thought less of him in terms of finance and achievement.
Portillo is a citizen of the United Kingdom, a trained journalist, an astute broadcaster, and a politician.
His net worth is estimated to be about $6.2 million. Before winning the 1984 Enfield Southgate by-election, Michael worked with Ocean Group Plc in his early years.
Early Life and Career
Born in Bushey, a county of Hertfordshire, Eastern England, on May 26, 1953, Michael’s father was a Spanish Civil War refugee, and this alongside other factors gave Michael a mixed background of both Spanish and Scottish descent.
He began his working life as a graduate trainee with the transport company Ocean Group Plc, and thereafter, in 1976, he joined the Conservative Research Department.
Portillo held key portfolios during his political career, such as Chief Secretary to the Treasury in 1992, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, Secretary of State for Employment, as well as Secretary of State for Defence.
Portillo holds a First Class degree in History from Cambridge University and was at some point in his political career considered as a possible leader of the Conservative Party during his active days in politics, although it never came to fruition.
In 1997, Michael Portillo lost the Conservative Enfield Southgate seat at the general elections, and his political journey eventually came to an end in 2005.
When he retired from active politics after the general elections, he decided to explore life from another dimension (journalism and media).
The former conservative politician’s media escapade saw him participate in various radio and television programs.
This participation eventually made him a household name in the United Kingdom, with shows like; “Portillo’s States Secrets”, “Great Continental Railway Journeys”, The Pyrenees with Michael Portillo, and “Great British Railway Journeys “.
His love for the media job grew and presented him with an opportunity to work with renowned broadcasting media houses like BBC and Channels 4.
This gave him a platform to explore diverse aspects of history and travels, to express his conservative ideologies, but he would always criticize constructively, any conservative policy he believed was not in consonant with the party’s philosophy.
Michael Portillo’s versatile nature also saw him venturing into business, where he took on the role of non-executive director for various establishments.
He worked with Evraz, a Russian Steelmaker, as well as a Multinational construction company known as Balfour Beatty. He also worked voluntarily as Commissioner of the International Commission for Missing Persons (ICMP).
He is President of DEBRA, a British charity working on behalf of people with epidermolysis bullosa (EB), a genetic skin blistering condition.
Portillo is the British Chairman of the Anglo-Spanish Organisation Tertulias, which organizes annual meetings between the two countries.
Michael Portillo’s Net Worth
Michael Portillo’s income stems from a myriad of sources. As a former Parliamentarian, author, orator, media man/journalist, and business consultant, it is believed that all these are his major sources of income.
Thus, putting Portillo’s net worth at about $6.2 million. It is also imperative to note that Michael Portillo apart from media and politics, also found love in writing, and he has several books to his credit.
Some are tales about his political sojourn and others about his global train adventure. Simply put, a combination of Portillo’s career in life, makes up his net worth as a successful individual.
Michael Portillo’s Marital Life
Portillo got married to Carolyn Eadie, his teenage lover on 12 February 1982, in a low-profile marriage setting after their paths crossed at a school gathering in North London during the 70’s.
Carolyn played a very pivotal role during Portillo’s political days as a parliamentarian, and even after his retirement from active politics, she was always seen with him at different events, one of such was in 2013 during Margret Thatcher’s funeral.
Portillo’s wife, Carolyn Eadie, is a big-time businesswoman, who maintains a low-profile lifestyle, despite her personal earnings/wealth as a senior executive recruitment consultant in London’s financial district, known as the city of London.
Like every other couple, Portillo and Carolyn have had their ups and downs in marriage, but both have remained resolute and committed to their marital vows.
She was diagnosed with breast cancer during the early years of their marriage, and this made the coup to take a drastic decision to have kids.
Michael Portillo is one of the most successful journalists and writers from Britain. His net worth stems from his involvement in journalism, broadcasting, and other public activities he has engaged in.