Many Australians know Adrian Portelli as the infamous bidder snapping up properties at The Block, but he is also a loving father and husband.
Despite his well-known flashy antics and acumen for business, it’s clear that the billionaire takes the saying ‘family first’ seriously, often taking to Instagram to gush about his only child.
To celebrate his 36th birthday in February 2025, Adrian treated himself to a brand new luxury vehicle, sharing a rare new image of his son in his arms, the pair posing in front of the billionaire’s latest automobile acquisition.
“Happy birthday to me. Perfect timing. Handover day,” he captioned the above photo.
Prior to that he shared a sweet tribute to his son Mercy in celebration of his 1st birthday.
Only a few weeks earlier Adrian shared another adorable photo of baby Mercy – proving that a love of fast cars runs in the family!
This adorable picture was worlds apart from pictures posted only two days prior where Adrian debuted his new ‘skinhead’ haircut to his son – to a hilarious, but very emotional result.
We certainly don’t think Mercy’s reaction is an overreaction – his dad certainly looks very different here without hair (or eyebrows)!
Adrian had revealed his new hairstyle to the world a day earlier saying he was “digging” his new look.
On Christmas Day, 2024, Adrian posted yet another heartwarming photo of him and Mercy to celebrate their first Christmas together as father and son.
“The best gift ever! Merry 1st Christmas son and Merry Christmas to you and your families,” he captioned the below photo.
On September 1st, 2024 he shared a carousel of sweet photos of the father-son duo, writing that it was an “absolute honour” to be a father.
“MY FIRST FATHER’S DAY ❤️❤️❤️ It’s an absolute honour to be your dad little man,” he penned at the time.
A week earlier the billionaire shared a video of his then nearly six-month-old chewing on a T-Rex foot….yes you read that right!
“Yes, it’s a real authenticated fossil [that’s] roughly 80 million years old” he captioned this video.
We guess when you are the baby of someone as wealthy as Adrian anything can be a dummy!
At only two weeks old baby Mercy was the most precious gift of all for doting dad Adrian when he celebrated his birthday in February 2024.
“Best birthday ever,” he captioned these photos of him enjoying some cuddles with his newborn son.
“Welcome to the world”
Adrian confirmed that he and partner Karlie Butler welcomed their first child together on Monday, January 29, 2024.
Breaking the news on his Instagram account, the entrepreneur shared numerous snaps of him with his son, captioning the post, “Welcome to the world little man.”
Speaking with the Herald Sun, he said: “He was four days over…it’s an amazing, overwhelming experience.”
At only ten months old, controversial The Block bidder Adrian Portelli thrust his son Mercy into the spotlight, by bringing him to the 2024 auction.
Making history with his little one cradled in his arms, Adrian spent just over $15 million on all five properties, quickly becoming one of Australia’s most talked about people in the process.
“Well deserved” push present
In November 2023, he gifted his girlfriend Karlie Butler an expensive “push present.”
Taking to his social media accounts to share snaps from the baby shower, the self-made millionaire (who has an estimated net worth of over $1 billion), was clearly over the moon about becoming a father.
So much so, that the entrepreneur not only organised a lavish baby shower for his partner but gifted her a brand new white Aston Martin, complete with “heritage license plates.”
Whilst the exact cost of the car was kept under wraps, the property mogul said the gift to his girlfriend Karlie was “well deserved for putting up with [him].”
Given the base model for this car retails from $357,000, and heritage plates sell for at least $50,000, this gift was every bit as generous as it was romantic!
Earlier that year, the 35-year-old car enthusiast held an elaborate gender reveal in his $39 million dollar East Melbourne penthouse, revealing that he and Karlie were expecting a baby boy together.
The event saw three roulettes fly over the luxury high-rise building, with one ultimately spraying blue into the sky to break the happy news that they would be having a son together.
