‘He is ruthless’: Truth about Dua Lipa’s VERY protective father as insiders tell KATIE HIND about his control over her career – while she reveals her own encounter with Callum Turner

It was one of the most important nights of Dua Lipa’s career. In addition to being invited to the opening of the 2024 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles to perform a medley of her hits, the singer was also nominated in two categories. For a girl who grew up in a former council flat in London, this was a momentous moment.

But it wasn’t her new boyfriend and now-husband, actor Callum Turner, who held her arm as she walked the red carpet. Rather, this honor was given to his beloved father, Dukagjin.

The artist, known simply as Dugi or ‘Daddy Lipa’ by the singer’s loyal fans, attracted great attention with her stylish appearance at the night. Dressed in a classic tuxedo and black bow tie, handsome Dugi was bombarded with messages from women around the world.

Websites devoted pages to articles featuring photos of him and describing the then 54-year-old as the ‘hottest dad in the world’. One fan even wrote online: ‘Please tell Dua Lipa’s father I’m single.’

I was even told that Kosovo businessman Dugi was seen as the heartthrob within the friendship group, with some of the singer’s friends describing him as ‘DILF’, which roughly translates to ‘Dad, I’d like to make love’.

But for Dugi, turning up on such an important night for his daughter was more than just a chance to model a dapper suit.

I’m told he wanted to send another message that he was ‘ruthlessly protective’ of his daughter, especially when it came to her very lucrative career.

Dua, 30, is Britain’s most successful female pop star, with a fortune of around £90 million. Music industry sources say that Dugi professionally micromanages everything he does and ensures that she is around him as much as possible. But now he has competition; his daughter’s new husband.

When Dua Lipa was invited to the opening of the 2024 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, it was her beloved father Dukagjin who took her arm on the red carpet.

Callum accompanies his new wife during lavish celebrations in Palermo, Sicily on Friday

The couple married last Sunday at London’s Marylebone Town Hall after two years of dating.

The ceremony, in which Dugi gifted his daughter, was preceded by a three-day extravaganza in the idyllic Sicilian city of Palermo. It cannot be said that the local population was affected. After a steel ring was erected around the square, where the celebration was to be celebrated with a cocktail reception, posters saying ‘Palermo is not for rent’ were hung all over the city.

On Thursday night, guests staying at the £1,000-a-night Villa Igiea hotel were treated to a party on the yacht.

And yesterday Dua and Callum hosted a no-expense-spared bash at the historic Galleria d’Arte Moderna.

The bride dazzled in her custom-made Bottega Veneta dress. Her bag also belonged to the designer. She was adorned with Bulgari jewellery, including her iconic Manchette watch worth £185,000. Turner wore a beige suit by LA designer Jacques Marie Mage. But tonight is the big event, where the duo will throw a huge party at the Villa Valguarnera venue, about 19 kilometers east of Palermo.

There are rumors that Dua’s close friend Sir Elton John will perform tonight.

Judging by the enthusiastic looks on Dua and Callum’s faces as they descended the town hall steps last week, it’s a love match.

However, the question among those in the singer’s inner circle is whether there can be room in the marriage for Dua’s charismatic and confident father. Like any proud father, Dugi, who has been married to Dua’s mother Anesa for over 30 years, will be front and center at this weekend’s events.

However, relatives of the couple predict that going forward, Dugi will want to maintain an important position in his daughter’s life.

Some even suggest there may be a power struggle between Callum and ‘Daddy Lipa’ to impress the singer.

‘He is a global megastar but Dugi is the head of the family and everyone around him knows it. “He’s ruthless and ridiculously protective of Dua,” says a source. ‘She’s worth millions and millions and he prides himself on being in control of that. Hardly any decisions are made about Dua without having the final say. He’s on her arm whenever he can.

She may love Callum and be happy to see her daughter marrying someone so successful in her own right, but Callum will have to align himself with his father if he wants to keep things on track.

‘He’s a tough character, but Callum is no shrinking violet either. She is ready to stand up for herself and can also be tough, so it will be very interesting to see if there is room for both when it comes to Dua’s career. Watch this space.’

I can personally attest to what a strong character Callum is.

In June 2024, I saw Dua perform as the headliner on the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury. He was later accused of imitation by some people watching on their home televisions.

The bride wore a custom Bottega Veneta gown for the no-expenses-spared bash at the historic Galleria d’Arte Moderna.

Calling Dugi the ‘patriarch of the family’, a source added that he was ‘ruthless’ and ‘ridiculously protective of Dua’.

The next day, I saw him in the VIP bar and walked up to him to tell him how sorry I was for the harassment and offered him the opportunity to have his say on the matter through a chat with me for the Daily Mail. He was friendly and thanked me very much for asking and insisted that he was singing on stage.

But when the conversation ended Callum stood up to me and told me to leave without hesitation.

Minutes later, one of his friends came to find me and hurled the most vile four-letter insult possible. Even though Callum was rude, it was clear that he was very protective of the singer, just like his father-in-law. Dua released her debut album, which included her hit Be the One, in 2017, and a sensational rise to fame followed. His music-loving father, lead singer and guitarist of the Kosovo rock band Oda, certainly had a creative influence. Music was playing non-stop at home, which led Dua to start singing on her own at the age of five.

Dugi also joined his daughter on stage. In 2018, they surprised Dua fans by performing a duet at the Sunny Hill festival in Kosovo. But despite Dugi’s now central importance to every element of Dua’s career, her journey to stardom began without her father’s business input. Just three years ago, Dugi became involved in his daughter’s business activities in what was described as a ‘daring move’.

Dua had a long-standing contract agreement with her managers, who discovered her at 17 while she was working as a waitress in a central London nightclub, entitling them to 20 per cent of her income.

However, in 2023, Kosovo-Albanian Dugi dismissed Dua’s management team and replaced them himself. Its takeover led to a legal battle with TaP Management, whose co-founder Ben Mawson was responsible for Dua’s record deals.

Dugi’s coup sparked fierce legal wrangling over future royalties as well as valuable publishing rights that control the use of Dugi’s music for commercial purposes.

The outcome left the two sides fighting for months before settling out of court; Dua and Dugi agreed to continue paying royalties for an undisclosed period after the separation.

In another deal 18 months later, father and daughter reached a financial agreement worth “millions of pounds” to buy back the broadcasting rights.

One industry insider explained: ‘TaP was furious. They had invested millions of pounds behind a completely unknown man because they believed they could turn him into a star.

‘They bankrolled the whole thing, including a few flops before it eventually imploded and secured Dua’s first hit, New Rules, which was originally written for Little Mix. They had taken all the risks, they felt so strongly that they deserved to be a part of the reward, but Dugi was having none of it.

‘Things were pretty chaotic for a while, but Dugi wasn’t backing down. ‘He wanted the right deal for his daughter and of course for himself.’

It was a brutal move, but it would prove to be a cunning one.

The newlyweds were spotted taking their dogs for a walk in London the day after their wedding.

After showing her managers the door, Dugi also became the manager of her daughter’s company and changed the name of the company from Dua Lipa Ltd to Radical 22 Ltd. The latest official accounts signed by Dugi reveal astonishing financial success; with a turnover of £23,258,097 in the last financial year, profits of £19 million and total cash reserves in bank accounts of £22,337,182.

This is a major victory for Dugi, who previously ran a marketing agency in Pristina, Kosovo, after studying at the Chartered Institute of Marketing and later at a communications school, where he wrote a thesis on political marketing campaigns.

On his LinkedIn profile, he describes himself as ‘an experienced professional with a proven track record of delivering practical, cost-effective solutions.’

People in the industry tell me he is known for a ‘ruthless streak’.

In fact, his maneuver ensured that 100 percent of Dua’s considerable earnings now remained with their family. He also managed a number of corporate side projects to make more money from his daughter’s brand.

These include online lifestyle brand Service95, where Dua promotes her products and services through the digital platform.

But now Callum is the main man in Dua’s life and as a source told me: ‘Dugi has found a suitable partner for her.’

Known for his ambitious nature and currently enjoying an upswing in his own career, many reports say Callum is on track to become the next James Bond.

She modeled for Next and Reebok before her first acting role in the low-budget film Think of England in 2010. He starred in BBC and ITV soaps before graduating to films, and got his breakthrough in Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts.

Born in Hammersmith, west London, Callum grew up on a tough council estate at World’s End with his single mother Rose, a nightclub promoter.

Now the future of the newlyweds looks quite lucrative. The couple live in West Hampstead, a favorite celebrity haunt in north-west London, where they are regularly seen walking their dog Golo.

Dua paid £6.75 million for the property, securing planning permission for a large basement and rear extension at the couple’s home.

The period house will have a pool, cinema, music studio and at least five bedrooms. ‘There’s plenty of room for babies,’ says my source. ‘It is highly anticipated that children will be on the agenda. But they both have so much going for them that their friends joke that they’re the power couple.’

It is not yet clear whether there will be a place for Daddy Lipa in this strong partnership.