They were once Britain’s much-loved influencer family who accumulated more than 1.5million subscribers with their daily videos documenting births to dinnertime.
But by 2022, the once thriving £1million Saccone Joly YouTube franchise had virtually faded into non-existence, and Anna and Jonathan Joly removed thousands of their lucrative videos amid claims they were exploiting their four young children.
Now, the family-of-six have become the latest in the UK to pack up their lives and relocate to Marbella, Spain, in search of a ‘healthier lifestyle’ and a much needed change.
After selling their lavish 7-bedroom Surrey mansion for £1.5million, the Saccone Jolys have publicly renounced their former lives as Britain’s most desirable, and indeed accessible, family in favour of a quieter life in the Mediterranean.
In a video titled ‘We Moved to Marbella! HOUSE TOUR’, Jonathan revealed to his almost 3million YouTube subscribers that their move to Spain was, in fact, ‘not a joke or an Airbnb’.
Fronting the video were his four young children – Emilia, 13, Edie, 12, Alessia, nine and seven-year-old Andrea, who led the tour of their luxury villa – featuring striking sea views, a private pool and even a lift.
Meanwhile, taking to TikTok to share the news, Anna, who boasts more than 344,000 followers, described their move to the coastal city in southern Spain as the ‘best decision we ever made’.
‘One of the main reasons why we moved is for the lifestyle,’ she said.
‘All of my kids were playing in the back garden together and nobody was on their devices. It was just so nice to watch.
‘With what my husband and I do for a living, we don’t need to be in one specific area or place. So, we just thought “why not”.
‘It’s only been about a week and already I feel like it’s the best decision we ever made as a family.’
The Saccone Jolys were Britain’s much-loved influencer family who accumulated more than 1.5million subscribers with their daily videos documenting all – from births to dinnertime
After selling their lavish 7-bedroom Surrey mansion for £1.5million, the Saccone Jolys have publicly renounced their former lives as Britain’s most desirable, and indeed accessible, family in favour of a quieter life in the Mediterranean
The Saccone Jolys have relocated to Marbella, Spain, and have showcased their luxury villa featuring an outdoor pool and lift
Alongside the obvious sunshine fix that the Spanish climate provides, Anna added that another huge factor that has influenced their move was the opportunity to better ‘maximise your days’.
‘Because there is so much sunlight here you just feel like the days are so much longer and you’re just maximising them so much,’ she explained.
She added: ‘Another thing, and this will probably seem like it’s really strange, but the food. You can get so many organic fruits, veggies. You know I love to cook and food is just really important to me.
‘I feel like a Mediterranean diet tells people be healthier, live longer, and it’s something I’m really passionate about. I’m passionate about what I feed my kids.’
Alongside their four children, the Jolys have also brought over their three dogs to Marbella for their fresh start.
‘We also just moved our three dogs over and they are so happy as well. Their walks are so much more fun. They get to walk at the beach which is incredible,’ revealed Anna.
‘Right now it does feel a little bit like we’re on holiday, but when they start school next week that’s when things are going to feel very different and very real.’
While the decision to relocate to Spain is certainly not a unique one, the Saccone Jolys’ move has certainly come as a shock to their die-hard fans, many of whom took to the comments of Anna’s video to express their disbelief at the move.
‘Love this but how will the children go to school when they don’t speak Spanish?’, asked one commenter, while another queried: ‘I thought you just moved to a new house in the UK, why did you move again a week later?’
The unexpected move comes following a slew of backlash towards the family, who first began broadcasting on YouTube in 2010 and achieved an abundance of internet success
Others, meanwhile, suggested that the move may indeed just be temporary, with one proclaiming: ‘They’ll be moving back in September when school starts!’
‘I mean Marbella also has bad winters and short days during the winter too… It’s not all sunshine I can tell you,’ added another user, while one added: ‘As someone who moved to Spain 25 years ago with many children, the reality is far from the dream’.
Yet other viewers were quick to jump to Anna’s defence, describing the move as a ‘great decision’ that was ‘perfect’ for their young family.
‘Life is for adventure and the children are at perfect ages,’ wrote one user.
‘Slower and safer pace than the UK as well and still only a flight away if you need to get back to visit. Enjoy it!’
‘Spain is beautiful and the kids look so happy in the new country. Wishing you the best, good luck in this new journey,’ commented another.
The unexpected move comes following a slew of backlash towards the family, who first began broadcasting on YouTube in 2010.
From 2010 onwards, the Irish couple notched up more than 1.6million subscribers by unleashing an almost nonstop stream of videos chronicling domestic life with their growing family.
Their daily updates quickly started bringing in the sort of money that would see their estimated net wealth reach over £1million ($1.3m).
But then it all stopped. By 2020, their YouTube channel was no longer active – and the couple removed thousands of their lucrative clips in 2022 amid a storm of claims that they were exploiting their four children in a cynical ploy to keep the readies rolling in.
Among their most popular footage was a 16-minute clip of Emilia’s birth at Cork University Hospital in September 2012, which has clocked up more than 5.4million views.
There has also been widespread interest in the saga of their second child, a boy named Eduardo, transitioning into a girl, who now goes by Edie.
But the couple’s YouTube channel effectively became dormant from 2020 after allegations about their parenting style and claims that they were exploiting their youngsters, who are now aged between seven and 13. Much of their back catalogue of videos was removed from the channel two years later.
Against that backdrop, the re-emergence of the channel last year – renamed SacconeJoly Sisters – came out of the blue. Viewers were also surprised to see Jonathan taking something of a back seat as he handed over the bulk of the presenting duties to Emilia.
Jonathan has also taken more of a backseat online, too, having not posted on TikTok since late November. Meanwhile, on his own YouTube channel, his children are often the main focus of the videos and thumbnails.
Now, with the family’s move to Spain, viewers will likely be curious how their online focus could now shift – with Anna herself promising ‘lots of Spain content’ in the weeks to come.
