She was a tall, young Armani model from Yugoslavia. He was a short billionaire who happened to be the head of a Formula 1 racing federation. They met at a Formula 1 race in Italy in 1981, and didn’t speak a word of each other’s language. Well, she did know how to communicate one thing: rejection, with a fake phone number.

But, as The Telegraph of London said, “Ever since he was a boy, growing up in wartime Suffolk, Bernie Ecclestone has coveted things of sleekness and beauty that cost a lot to run and vanish at amazing speed.”

He tracked her down and married her.

The marriage crossed the finish line last week, after 24 years, which is actually a pretty long race. What is astonishing: Slavica Ecclestone’s filing for divorce seems to have caught her husband by surprise.

Let’s consider, this stunning woman, once a blonde now a brunette, and her two stunning daughters, Tamara, 24 and Petra, 19, lived under the thumb of a man who once said “Women should be in the kitchen... They should wear white, like a domestic appliance, and they shouldn’t be allowed out. You don’t take the washing machine out of the house, do you?”

Oh boy. And he didn’t see this coming?

When asked about the divorce action he told The Telegraph, "Really? ... You hear of things — I must find out."

He’s now 78, and she is 50. He is 5 foot 4, and she is a willowy 6 foot 2. Their daughters are stars in their own right in London, one a presenter, the other a fashion designer.

Here’s a twist: Ecclestone, who is notoriously averse to paying taxes, has already signed over $2.5 billion to his wife, so the money could be held offshore. They also have things that are harder to hide: a home in Chelsea, a jet, a yacht, and a hotel in Switzerland.

And The Mail on Sunday claims that Ecclestone, in another attempt to preserve assets, set up a trust with two-thirds of his money for his daughters, who receive a hefty allowance from it.

Because the marriage lasted 24 years, and there is no hint of wrongdoing on Slavica’s part, it can be assumed that she will end up with something approaching half of their assets. But remember that a large chunk of that is already in her name, and possession (as far as taxes go) is more than nine-tenths of the law. If it’s his money, he owes taxes on it, so mostly likely it will remain hers.

This is what we mean when we suggest that women have some money in their own names. See our resource directory on finances.

So let’s wave a giant checkered flag in Slavica’s direction!