Wimbledon host, Clare Balding, and her broadcaster wife, Alice Arnold, are swapping London for the countryside after 20 years in the capital
Celebrity Gogglebox stars, Clare Balding and her wife, Alice, are making a huge change to their lives. The couple, who met in 1999 when they were both working at the BBC before getting married in 2015, are busy broadcasting throughout the year.
However, after 20 years living in London, the BBC Sports star, 55, and Mellow Magic host, 63, have decided to ditch the big smoke for the countryside, moving 20 miles away from their £3 million pad in Chiswick to leafy Esher in Surrey. Revealing that their ‘priorities had shifted’ in recent years, a family acquaintance said it was time for a change.
Talking to the Mail, they said: “London has been wonderful for them. But priorities shift. You start wanting gardens instead of traffic, birdsong instead of sirens.”
Clare, whose wife Alice was previously in a relationship with former Bake Off host, Sandi Toksvig, told The Times last year they decided to move out of London “to have a bit more space and protection from the road so it’s a good environment for a dog”.
Ironically, Clare, who grew up in the countryside, didn’t think she’d be able to cope living in London because it was ‘suffocating’. However, she stuck it out for an impressive 20 years, before making the change.
The popular presenter, who is the daughter of late horse trainer, Ian Balding, keeps her private life out of the spotlight. However, this week she told the Mail the secret to her long-lasting relationship with Alice.
Clare said: “Alice and I just have the most lovely time together, we have so much fun and we enjoy doing the same things to relax.
“But also we have the same work ethic, Alice works for Mellow Magic, she’s a radio person through and through.
“She totally understands the broadcast environment and she’s very honest with me and will say if she thinks I haven’t done something well or could do it better, so I think there’s that level of trust and honesty.”
In another rare comment about their relationship, Clare revealed she turned down an appearance on Strictly Come Dancing for Alice despite her love for the iconic BBC show.
Given her wife’s self-confessed “hopeless” dancing, Alice issued a firm stance on her participation, joking that she would leave Clare if she were ever to slip into sequins on TV.
“It’s not something anybody needs to see, it’s not. Alice has very strong feelings about this,” Clare told Alison Hammond on the Smart TV podcast.
She continued: “When the request came through she said: ‘You can say yes to that if you like, but I won’t be here when you come back.'”
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