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Amanda Holden has thanked A-listers for increasing the value of her Cotswolds pad as she defended having a second home on Monday.
Once famed for its sleepy lanes, rolling hills and honey-coloured villages, the Cotswolds has reinvented itself as a billionaire hotspot.
A-list names have poured in, with Sir David and Victoria Beckham, Kate Moss, Simon Cowell, Ellen DeGeneres and reports of Beyonce and Jay-Z all snapping up grand homes.
Now, Amanda has thanked the stars for increasing the price of the area, as property prices soar – with a simple three-bedroom house in the OX7 postcode now fetching at least £2.5million.
The TV personality, 54, said presenter and Clarkson’s Farm star Jeremy Clarkson, who owns a farm near Chipping Norton, ‘can’t moan’ about her having a home in the now-famous village because she invested in the property 20 years ago.
Asked by The Sunday Times how she feels about A-listers flocking to the country area, she said: ‘I think it’s great for house prices. I’ve been there nearly 20 years — my grandparents were from that area.
‘So we got there first, then lots of my friends would come and stay, and now they all have property there too. I was there before the Beckhams and Beyoncé.
‘We just wanted a weekend retreat and it’s turned out to be a wonderful investment. So if [Jeremy] Clarkson moans about it, he can’t moan about me because I’m technically Cotswolds family.’
Amanda splits her time with husband Chris Hughes and daughters Lexi and Hollie between their lavish Surrey property and their second home in Chipping Norton, which neighbours pal Simon Cowell’s home and is ‘not far from the Beckhams’.
The Heart radio presenter said she sees music mogul Simon ‘quite a lot’ as Hollie and his son Eric are good friends.
It comes days after Amanda awkwardly brought up the Beckham family feud to Mel C when the singer made an appearance on Heart Breakfast last week.
Mel, 52, said that she ‘won’t be talking’ about her former bandmate Victoria’s drama after the presenter, 54, said she was ‘heartbroken’ for her.
The Beckhams have been embroiled in a tense row with their son Brooklyn, 26, and his wife Nicola Peltz, 31, for months now, but things came to a head last month when Sir David and Victoria’s oldest son released a bombshell statement.
Joining Amanda in the studio to play her new song, Mel spoke about her fellow Spice Girl as she discussed the girlband’s thirty-year reunion.
Amanda said: ‘I’m not going to talk to you about anything else. I’ve actually banned talking about the Beckhams on this show because I’m heartbroken for them. So, we won’t be talking about that.
Mel replied: ‘Yeah, we won’t be talking about that.’
‘But we will be talking about the fact that it’s thirty years coming up and there has to be a reunion. Surely?’ Amanda continued.
Mel explained: ‘Well, this is the thing. If you remember looking back to 2019 when we did our stadium tour, Victoria wasn’t with us.
‘So, she has to have that experience. Do you know what, it’s so lovely. I’m sure a lot of your listeners out there saw the picture from last weekend.
‘We were celebrating Emma’s birthday. We missed Melanie B she wasn’t there sadly. But the four of us the rest of us were there and it was so lovely.
‘And you know what it’s like, it was a big birthday. So, you feel very nostalgic. So, we’re probably closer now than we have been in a very long time and I’m always keeping my fingers crossed.’
Mel C previously revealed that the band are getting ‘closer’ to confirming a reunion to mark their 30th anniversary as she addressed the Spice Girls rumours.
The singer, who found fame in the iconic girl group alongside Mel B, Emma Bunton, Geri Halliwell-Horner and Victoria Beckham, has insisted they will ‘celebrate’ the occasion this year.
Mel explained that she doesn’t want to ‘throw anybody under the bus’, but herself, Emma and Mel B have been in talks for the milestone.
However, the DJ has admitted the British girl group are ‘frightened’ and seriously feeling the pressure to get the celebration right.
