A bitter divorcee demanded a £10 million payout from her ex-husband to meet her 'reasonable needs' - which included a £5 million property in London.

In the acrimonious divorce battle played out in the High Court, the judge heard how the couple were married in 1997 and split in 2008, and the wife received an £8m payout the following year.

But she now has only £4.685m of that left, and returned to court to demand more money and a house, telling the judge she could not live outside Kensington because she felt 'frightened' of 'less opulent' areas.

She also requested £25,000-a-year for holidays and weekends away and £10,000-a-year for therapy.

The woman told the judge she could not live outside Kensington (pictured) because she felt 'frightened' of 'less opulent' areas

However a judge refused her demands, granting her a £2.5 million housing fund and ordered the husband - who is worth £33million - to pay her a further £1.15m.

She spurned suggestions by her multi-millionaire ex-husband she move to a cheaper £2.5m house in 'less opulent' Shepherd's Bush or Battersea, insisting that she be handed a six-bedroom home in Kensington, owned by her ex's family trust.

She wanted to up her total assets to £10m, including the value of the property.

The woman, who cannot currently be named for legal reasons, told divorce judge Mrs Justice Roberts she felt 'frightened' when she left the exclusive West London borough, adding: 'I feel insecure when I venture out of Kensington'.

But Mrs Justice Roberts refused to give in to her demands, telling her she 'needs to explore different areas.'

The High Court heard the woman's ex-husband is worth £33m, money 'gifted' to him by his father.

He was said to have spent large sums 'to indulge his own interests of motor racing, flying and sailing', including spending £540,000 on a helicopter.

The woman, who cannot currently be named for legal reasons, told divorce judge Mrs Justice Roberts she felt 'frightened' when she left the exclusive West London borough

The wife's spending was said to be 'modest' in comparison to his.

Mrs Justice Roberts, setting out the details of the dispute, said: 'The house (the wife wants) is a five-storey house with potentially five or six bedrooms, five of which have en suite bathrooms.

'It is situated in prime central Kensington...an exclusive and sought after residential location. The wife said she had felt insecure and frightened when she ventured out of Kensington.

'The alternative property particulars put forward by the wife range from £4.65m to £5m. All of the properties are in central Kensington or Notting Hill Gate.

'The particulars relied on by the husband are in Fulham, Shepherds Bush or Battersea.

'He submits that whilst his sample is - from the wife's perspective - situated in less opulent areas, all the properties are in respectable and established family residential areas.'

In the acrimonious divorce battle played out in the High Court (pictured), the judge heard how the couple were married in 1997 and split in 2008

The judge added: 'Even allowing for the fact that she clearly has an anxious personality, I am not persuaded that any of these areas can be characterised as unsafe or inappropriate areas.

'I would take a great deal of persuading that the alternative houses were in areas where either the wife or the children would be put at any greater risk in terms of their physical safety and comfort than the properties in Kensington.

'I am entirely persuaded that a step down in her accommodation needs at that juncture is both necessary and appropriate.

'I can see no justification for transferring to her a property worth some £4.75m.

'I hope and expect that she will have embarked upon the house-hunting exercise well in advance of a planned move. She needs time to explore different areas.'

The judge ruled that the wife needed a £2.5m housing fund, rather than £5m.

She ordered the husband to pay her a £1.15m top up to the £4.685m she already had, in order to allow her to find a new home and create an investment fund giving her a £140,000 yearly income for life.

That sum, based on her reasonable 'needs', includes £25,000 a year for 'holidays and weekends away' and more than £10,000 a year for therapy.