CELEBRITIES
Is Ellen DeGeneres leaving the United States? This is the reason and the new place she has moved to with Portia de Rossi
The 66-year-old TV host and wife Portia de Rossi sold their Montecito mansion for $32 million earlier this year.
Ellen DeGeneres and her Australian actress wife Portia de Rossi decided they needed a change of scenery. The couple, who wed in 2008, sold their 11,530-square-foot home in Santa Barbara for $32 million back in March and have since moved to the United Kingdom.
Ellen and Portia’s famous neighbors
The couple are reported to have found a new home and settled in The Cotswolds in south west England - the favored retreat of A-listers such as the Beckhams, former UK prime minister David Cameron, Kate Moss, Stella McCartney - and a member of the royal family: Princess Anne, along with her daughter Zara Phillips and husband Mike Tindall.
“Ellen was in England house hunting in the beginning of October. She ended up finding a house that she loved and purchased it shortly after,” a source told People. “They hung out with [UK TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson’s partner] Lisa Hogan and James Blunt”. The couple watched members of The Corrs perform at Clarkson’s pub, The Farmer’s Dog.
Set in a backdrop of rolling hills of The Cotswolds typifies rural England and was officially designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in 1966. The couple will be close enough to London (just 100 miles away) for any work commitments but the initial idea, for Ellen at least, is to retire and enjoy the quiet life.
Trump victory the final straw
According to several sources, the 66-year-old daytime chat show host and partner were “very disillusioned” to see Donald Trump win the recent election and return to the White House, which only sped up their plan to “get the hell out of America for good”.
The pair already knew the area having visited friends including the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at their private cottage in Great Tew before they emigrated to the US.
Degeneres' career hit an all-time low point in July 2020 after a number of former members of her production team accused the presenter of harassment, bullying and creating a toxic working environment.
Viewing figures for the Ellen DeGeneres Show plummeted and Ellen quit once her contractual commitments were up in July this year.