mansion

CITY boy David Beckham has spent the best part of a decade becoming a country gent — and is now proudly sharing his new lifestyle in an iconic magazine.

He has turned a Cotswolds farmhouse into the perfect family home and is pictured wandering its idyllic sprawling grounds with his working Cocker Spaniels Sage and Olive.

The father of four, nicknamed Goldenballs in his playing days, has planted hundreds of trees, put up 27 bee hives and created a lake with duck house and wooden jetty.

In a special edition of Country Life, he tells how he keeps chickens and has a vegetable plot, where he tends onions, radishes, carrots and kale.

East London-born David tells how he counts fellow converts Vinnie Jones and Guy Ritchie among his country friends.

But he recalls: “My earliest memories of doing anything in the countryside are when I was a Cub, then a Scout, and we used to go camping in Epping Forest.”

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His kitchen fitter dad Ted and hairdresser mum Sandra did not have much time for gardening — though grandad Joe would tend to the roses, often damaged by the young David kicking a ball about.

The 50-year-old former Manchester United and Real Madrid star’s interest in country pursuits grew after meeting Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels director Guy, 57.

The ex-England skipper even made a cameo appearance in Ritchie’s 2017 flop King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword.

David says about Guy: “He’s a modern-day caveman, who has made me fall far deeper in love with the countryside and helped me to understand it even more than I did before.

“Sometimes, we sit for hours around a fire, just the two of us, and talk late into the night.”

Ritchie’s sweeping 1,100-acre estate Ashcombe House in Wiltshire is the inspiration for what David is trying to achieve.

And it was during late nights at the homely Georgian property that Becks got to know footballer-turned-actor Vinnie, who has appeared in a number of the director’s projects.

Guest editing 128-year-old Country Life, David admits: “When I was playing, he was one of those footballers you did not want to go near on the pitch.

“He would either grab you, throw you or kick you!

Sometimes, we sit for hours around a fire, just the two of us, and talk late into the night

David Beckham

“Back then, that was his thing and he made a successful career before becoming a pundit, when he did criticise me.

“I didn’t think he liked me. But when I met him later at Guy’s place, we didn’t stop talking.”

‘Solace in the country’

Former Wimbledon hardman Vinnie, 60, has a 147-acre farm in Petworth, West Sussex.

David adds: “He bought me a walking stick he’d made for me and he’s now a great friend, who, like me, has found solace in the country later in life.”

The three stars are now happiest in tweeds and welly boots, a world away from the glamorous lifestyles which made them famous.

Vinnie used to booze too much but tells how he prefers a teetotal life.

He comments: “You’ve got to commit. Do it on a Monday.

“Everyone who has done it says, ‘I wish I’d done it before’.

“You never hear anyone regret ­giving up booze.”

For the main article in the magazine — marking its 1,000th edition with a 288-page gold embossed issue — David, his tattooed hands ­poking from his cuffs, gives TV gardening expert Alan Titchmarsh a tour of the family estate

He and fashion designer wife Victoria, 51, bought the farm near Great Tew, in Oxfordshire, for £6million in 2016. It is now estimated to be worth twice that sum.

They have turned a 26-acre plot with one maple tree and a few derelict barns into a landscape of wildflower meadows, native trees and shrubland that form a home for insects and birds.

Proud David reveals: “I can still remember the morning when Victoria and the children were all due to arrive to see the refurbished barns for the first time.

The moment she walked in, she burst out crying

David Beckham

“It was still a complete mess. One of the guys, who was helping with the building work, and I were literally running around laying the rugs, sweeping up and getting all the dust out.

“Then I waited at the front door with a glass of wine for Victoria to arrive.

“And, the moment she walked in, she burst out crying because she couldn’t believe how perfect it was.”

Now the couple often serve their home-grown ingredients in meals served for friends and family.

And in the magazine, David gives the Queen’s son, Tom Parker Bowles, a taste of his culinary skills.

David, originally from Leytonstone, tells Tom: “There’s something so nostalgic about mashed potato, liver, bacon and lots of gravy.

“It’s one of those British comfort classics that my mum used to make for me and was also my grandad’s favourite dish.

“My gran was also a great cook, and it was always a treat going down to the pie and mash shop in Chapel Market.

“If I had to choose my last meal, it would be pie, mash, liquor and ­jellied eels.”

Previous guest editors of the Country Life have included King Charles, and the most featured face on the cover in the past was the late Queen Mother.

In his cover shot, David looks every bit the rural gent, leaning on a ram’s horn cane and dressed in a tweed jacket.

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American celebrities such as Beyonce, Jay-Z and Ellen DeGeneres have since followed the Beckhams to the Cotswolds — and it is easy to see why.

• David Beckham’s Guest Edit of Country Life is available now.

NOTHING brings the country together like football.

But there are some people who have more than a little insight into the game and the hype surrounding it – the WAGs.

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Belinda Coleman was also once one of them, having a front row seat to all the money, the pleasures – and pitfalls – of life as a Premier League wife.

She was the spouse of the Welsh football coach Chris Coleman – but in 2011, their 19-year relationship came to a bitter end following cheating accusations.

The divorce ended in Chris, now 55, giving Belinda just two months to leave the two bedroom flat she shared with their four kids, Sonny, Christy, Faraday and Georgie – all whilst he planned his marriage to blonde TV presenter Charlotte Jackson.

Belinda previously lifted the lid on how their dream marriage turned into a nightmare – and how his flings led to their split after 19 years together.

Belinda then said. “He’s an adulterer and I just became bored of his indiscretions.

“His affairs were into double figures. And I’d even confronted three or four of the women. I never ranted at them. I just told them they weren’t the first and they wouldn’t be the last.

“And I told him if he wanted to be with them, he should just walk out and leave us alone to get on with our lives.”

Now, over a decade later, Belinda has revealed what life is like when your millionaire marriage ends, the money disappears, and you go from the A-list lifestyle to having the bailiffs at your door.

By 1991, when she met Chris, then a player with Crystal Palace, Belinda owned a flat of her own and was managing a hotel health club.

“I’d been invited to a match by a player who’d come to the health club for physiotherapy. The first time I spoke to Chris in the lounge after the match it was so natural. I had no idea this man would change my life forever,” Belinda told The Telegraph.

Just six months later the pair tied the knot – and according to Belinda, it felt like a fairy tale.

As Chris’ career began to climb, they went from a two-bedroom rental to purchasing a small house before Chris moved to Blackburn – ”and suddenly, there was so much money”, Belinda said.

There were luxurious holidays, shopping sprees galore and private school education for their four kids.

“I decorated our lovely home in the country, called the Old Stables, with all the top-of-the-range equipment I could find.”

But with so much money coming in, there was no planning for their financial future – something Belinda looks back at now and cringes at how ”financially irresponsible” the two were.

Meet the WAGS of the England footballers

England Wags range from childhood sweethearts to recently blossoming love stories.

Katie Goodland (Harry Kane’s wife)

The fitness instructor has been married to the England captain since 2019 and joined him in Germany with their four children after he joined Bayern Munich.

Laura Celia Valk (Jude Bellingham’s girlfriend)

The stunning Dutch model, 25, has more than half a million Instagram followers and is said to be absolutely smitten with the Real Madrid star.

Rebecca Cooke (Phil Foden’s girlfriend)

Foden’s childhood sweetheart and the mother of his two kids tends to keep out of the spotlight, but is a regular at England games.

Dani Dyer (Jarrod Bowen’s girlfriend)

England’s most famous Wag, former Love Island winner and daughter of Eastenders’ Danny Dyer.

Iris Law (Trent Alexander-Arnold’s girlfriend)

Dani Dyer isn’t the only actor’s daughter dating an England star. Iris’ dad is Hollywood legend Jude Law.

Megan Davison (Jordan Pickford’s wife)

Megan has been with Pickford since he was 14 years old. The couple married in 2022 and have one son.

Olivia Naylor (John Stones’ girlfriend)

The 33-year-old former beautician has stepped back from her role after giving birth to a baby son.

Read more about the Wags supporting England at Euro 2024 here

“I couldn’t be sensible about it because I couldn’t bear to think about it. There was a lot of guilt at having money when people I loved didn’t, so spending it as quickly as I could on myself and others seemed to make sense.”

Of course, there was also the pressure to look the part, which came with a hefty price tag – the scrutiny of Premier League wives and girlfriends was intense.

There were amazing times together, she explained – the fun of supporting their men at their games, the lavish getaways abroad, the luxurious parties and the fun of watching their children grow together.

But the lifestyle also came with lots of troubles to share, such as woman ”falling over” their husbands, which ”took a huge psychological and emotional toll” on Belinda.

As rumours of Chris’s infidelity became louder, with headlines everywhere, the trust between the couple crumbled.

While Belinda was trying her best to pretend everything was okay for the sake of her children, it was just a mask – and in reality, she was losing her mind.

It eventually led the mother-of-four to do things that she wasn’t proud of, including hiring a private detective and hiding a tracker in Chris’s car – something, she now thinks, created ”suffering”.

As for why the separation and then divorce meant swapping a millionaire pad for a two-bed flat, Belinda is frank.

“Despite once having millions, the money had run out. It was my fault too, of course, but suddenly I was facing financial ruin.”

Bailiffs knocking on door

But the worst was yet to come.

One day, Belinda, now 60, heard loud banging at the door – it was two men who turned out to be bailiffs.

Paralysed with fear, she didn’t dare to move, and when the two finally left, she collapsed.

Following their visit, Belinda’s car was repossessed, and then an eviction notice arrived.

Eventually managing to find a private rental she could just about afford, this was the first of 11 forced moves in ten years for Belinda and the children, Sonny, now 32, Christy 30, Faraday, 27, and Georgie, 25.

While she did eventually receive spousal and child maintenance, the money was nothing compared to her previous lavish lifestyle and Belinda felt as if she ”was depriving the children of the life they’d become accustomed to”.

On one occasion, she remembers, her card was declined at the supermarket checkout, despite calculating everything in the trolley to the penny.

Now raising four kids as a single mum, Belinda took whatever jobs she could fit around their schedule, working nights, weekends and 12-hour shifts.

“I packed boxes for a removal company, worked in a call centre and cleaned. One day in 2016, a year after our divorce was finalised, I drove through the wrought-iron gates of the Old Stables. I was there to clean the house we’d once owned.

Standing in the beautiful home, the memories of the happy times came flooding back and Belinda realised just how much her life had changed.

But she refused to feel sorry for herself. Instead, she appreciated being alive and having four wonderful kids, friends and family who loved her.

Then in 2019, during yet another forced house move, she was packing a book – and things in her life were about to change.

The sentence read: ”Sometimes the universe is just waiting for you to say yes.’’

For Belinda, it was a sign – a sign that if she truly wanted something different in her life, she needed to do something different.

This was the start of Belinda’s journey with manifestation, journaling, meditating, visualisation and expressing gratitude daily that turned her life around – as did winning a legal case.

On a whim one day, the mum-of-four wrote herself a cheque for the amount she believed was achievable from an ongoing legal dispute, placing it beside her bed and acknowledging it every day.

In the end, she ended up winning that case against the odds, and the money meant she could finally achieve the dream of owning her very own home.

”The house I bought was listed for exactly the amount I’d written on the cheque.”

Now a qualified motivational coach and NLP (neuro-linguistic processing therapy) practitioner, Belinda has written a book about her journey.

Wag to Warrior, Every Woman’s Roadmap to Overcoming Life’s Challenges and Rewriting Her Story is a book that Belinda hopes will help other women who are struggling, including other WAGs.

CHERYL is selling her four million pound mega mansion she once shared with her ex husband.

The Girls Aloud singer, 42, lived in the posh Hertfordshire pad during her brief second marriage to Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini.

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Cheryl has now put the huge house on the market for a cool £4M.

It was previously listed in 2017 for £5M, but has since dropped in price.

The Fight For This Love singer’s impressive property comes complete with six bedrooms, a swimming pool and a cinema.

The stunning 8,500 sq ft home also has a bar, wine cellar, huge living room and sprawling garden.

The star pad has a brick exterior and includes a round wing known as The Kiln.

The house actually featured on Channel 4‘s Britain’s Most Expensive Houses

On the show, estate agent Jeremy Fine said of the property: “It’s actually one of my favourite homes I’ve ever dealt with. It’s been super popular with a huge amount of big names, footballers, A-list celebrities.

“Cheryl Cole was living here at the height of her fame and it was an incredible hideaway for her because this house is so tucked away.” Let’s take a look inside…

Cheryl lived at the home with Frenchman Jean for the brief time they were married, and it was built not long before they moved in, in 2015.

The former couple met during Cannes Film Festival in 2014 before tying the knot in a private ceremony on the Caribbean island of Mustique in July of the same year.

However the marriage fell apart and after months of speculation, the split was confirmed in January 2016, and the couple were granted a decree nisi in October of the same year.

Meanwhile, it comes just days after Cheryl made her first red carpet appearance since the passing of her ex, Liam Payne.

The One Direction star, who Cheryl shares son Bear with, passed away last October.

On Tuesday, she was seen at London‘s Lyric Theatre alongside fellow Girls Aloud star, Kimberley Walsh, to support their bandmate Nicola Roberts in her West End debut in the production of Hadestown.

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Cheryl has largely been out of the public eye since Liam Payne‘s passing.

She was last seen on-stage with her Girls Aloud bandmates when they headlined Brighton Pride last August.

The band have been closer than ever after rallying around one another following Sarah Harding‘s tragic passing in 2022.

As well as supporting each other privately, they came together for a huge reunion tour in 2024 which went on to become the UK’s biggest arena tour of the decade so far.

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HELEN Flanagan has been forced to slash the price of her £1.5million mansion AGAIN after struggling to sell her family pad amid money woes.

The former Coronation Street star, 35, had already slashed more than £300,000 off the price of the house she shared with ex Scott Sinclair.

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Now Helen has been forced to reduce the price again for a second time after just fourth months of being on the market.

Helen first put the £1.5million six-bedroom family home up for sale in May, before reducing it to £1.195million just four weeks later. 

Now, the detached, 5,000sq ft home can be snapped up for a cheeky £995,000.

The former couple, who have three children together, bought the property at Belmont, near Bolton, in June 2021 for £840,000.

It has five reception rooms, six bathrooms and six bedrooms including two en-suites.

The house is situated on the edge of moors and is said to have “breathtaking views”.

Helen, who has spoken openly about “losing all her money” in the past, recently opened up being forced to downsize.

She said: “It actually makes me sad that I’m going to be leaving soon because I actually put so much effort into it.

“When we moved I put like a lot lot of my savings into doing the house up and making it look really beautiful. 

“But it’s a big house. It’s an eight bedroom house, which is obviously really hard to keep on top of.”

Meanwhile, Helen has shown off her evil stepmother credentials as she debuted her panto outfit for the first time.

The actress will play the evil stepmother in Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs at Liverpool‘s M&S Bank Arena in December.

The stunning star donned a sequinned red and black dress, with black feathered sleeves, and wore a gold and red diamante tiara on her head.

She also held aloft a red apple, symbolic of the poisonous apple so relevant to the Snow White storyline.

A source previously told The Sun: “Helen is excited for panto season and can’t wait to get into character, she’s a brilliant actress and knows how to put on a show.

“She’ll also be pocketing a pretty penny, celebrities and soap stars make good money doing panto and always look forward to it as some extra income.”

But despite being about to make her first foray into the world of pantomime, Helen is not looking forward to being alone this Christmas.

Helen, shares daughters Matilda, nine, Delilah, six, as well as four-year-old son Charlie, with her ex Scott Sinclair.

However, the ex-Coronation Street star also recently told The Sun that she was spending Christmas without her children this year, as she and former Chelsea footballer Scott, who most recently played for Bristol Rovers, live so far apart.

But Helen explained: “”I’ll do something in November – a really nice long weekend then I feel like I’ve had my Christmas period with them.”

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NOTHING screams luxury like a top-notch yacht, so it’s no wonder Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has been hosting Max Verstappen on his boat in a bid to woo the popular driver away from Red Bull.

The Formula One World Champion, 27, has been spotted sunning himself topless on the vessel just off the coast of Sardinia.

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In photos that emerged last week, he was seen enjoying the heat as he laughed with Toto, 53, who was dressed all in white.

The luxurious yacht, named Mangusta 165, is believed to have cost the racing boss £20million and spends most of the time moored in Monaco when not in use.

F1 is currently on its summer break, with the next race not until August 31 in Zandvoort.

Max’s break with the Mercedes boss has refuelled rumours that he might move to the team when his contract with Red Bull is up.

The four-time world champion told RacingNews365: “I’m in the middle. Maybe it’ll be good, maybe it’ll be bad – we’ll see.

“I’m very open-minded, honestly. I don’t even think about it too much – I’m just enjoying the moment. 

“When I sit in the car next year, we’ll figure it out. I’m not making the rules anyway.”

Toto has owned his yacht, which is 50m in length and has a top speed of 25 knots, since 2023.

It boasts five bedrooms and can host 12 guests, who can also enjoy use of the jet skis and a hot tub.

The Mercedes boss isn’t the only F1 star to own a fancy yacht. Here we look at battle of the boats.

Max Verstappen

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He might have spent the beginning of his summer break on Toto’s yacht, but the F1 driver has his own boat – which has been described as a ‘Bond villain’s weekend getaway’.

He owns 33million yacht Unleash the Lion, which is thought to be worth £11million.

It can hold up to 12 guests alongside five crew, meaning Max and partner Kelly Piquet have ample space for entertaining as well as room for their daughter, Lily, born in May.

It has an open deck to the rear which is fitted with white couches and is thought to have an area to store a speed boat.

He also has a large stateroom inside, but little else is known about the pricey vessel’s interior.

Max moored the yacht in Monaco this year when he was competing in the principality’s Grand Prix but he hasn’t posted photos since its purchase earlier this year.

George Russell

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British F1 ace George, 27, is the latest driver to join the yacht owner’s club with his Pershing 6X.

He splashed out £2.2million on the luxurious vessel following his success on the track.

The boat might be smaller than grid rival Max’s, but it’s not tiny either.

It has four bedrooms, four bathrooms, a kitchen and a spacious upper deck living area.

And he’s been showing the yacht off on his social media with girlfriend Carmen Mundt, 26, and a host of friends on board.

They also have a stash of pricey water toys and the racer has posted videos of him and others on a hydrofoil skimming across the sea.

Like rival Max, George is also spending his summer break from the circuit on the boat off the coast of Sardinia.

Fernando Alonso

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Spanish driver Fernando, 44, has owned a Sunreef Power Eco 60 since 2023 after signing an order for it back in 2021.

Each yacht from the brand is a bespoke creation for the buyer.

The 18.3m long vessel is solar-powered, giving the boat eco-friendly credentials that most yachts don’t have.

“I think [Sunreef] is the only company that takes sustainability to a very serious level,” said Alonso during an interview with BOAT International.

“To have a fully electric catamaran powered by solar panels made perfect sense to me.”

The solar panels cover 68.6m squared across the yacht, including the roof and hull sides.

It’s equipped with two 360kw electric motors and a set of 990kwh batteries which are solar powered – making the yacht essentially silent when moving.

One of the smaller yachts owned by an F1 star, it can accommodate up to six guests and four crew.

But, for Fernando, size doesn’t matter.

Alonso said: “On board, all that matters is peace of mind, fresh air, and good company. Yachting should not be about ego.

“For me, it’s about sharing good moments and being respectful towards the environment.”

Lawrence Stroll

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Billionaire Lawrence, 65, has splashed some of his enormous fortune on a 262-foot long floating mansion for a cool £184.5million.

The Aston Martin F1 team owner downsized from his original yacht, Faith, to Project 714 in March – and has now also renamed it Faith.

The upper decks, enclosed in glass, contain a swimming pool, a games deck and a helicopter landing pad with a hangar below, according to Luxury Launches.

Inside, there are seven guest cabins which can hold up to 14 people as well as space for 20 crew members.

It’s thought the large vessel, which has a top speed of 17knots, has annual running costs of up to £20million.

Lawrence’s previous boat could host up to 18 people across nine cabins and had a crew of 34.

It also boasted a private cinema, nine-meter swimming pool plus a spa and plunge pool.

He sold it to business tycoon Michael Latifi when he decided to downsize to a slightly smaller vessel.

Lewis Hamilton

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British driver Lewis, 40, is also a member of the F1 yacht club with Sunseeker 90, which he is thought to have bought in 2009 for around £2.9million.

And when he’s not feeling like being on his own boat, he charters other vessels that boast a bigger range of rooms and activities.

Sunseeker 90 is 91.9feet and can sleep up to eight guests. It boasts a top speed of 30 knots meaning it’s a speedy boat.

The yacht is normally moored in Monaco, where Lewis resides during the off season.

It features American walnut carpentry, air-conditioning, a huge kitchen and an entertainment area with a shower where guests can rinse off after a dip in the sea.

He was seen entertaining model Bella Hadid, 28, on a yacht back in 2017, but it’s not clear if he used his own boat or rented one for entertaining.

Lewis has also been spotted entertaining pals over the years, including former teammate Nico Rosberg and his own family.

Charles Leclerc

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Ferrari driver Charles, 27, appears to be a big fan of spending time on both his yachts – because who would have one when you could have two?

He owns a Riva 66 Ribelle named Sedici, which is Italian for sixteen – his race number – and a Riva Dolceriva open cruiser.

Sedici is a 20m sports yacht that can reach speeds of up to 37 knots and has three cabins inside.

He brought it to the Monaco Grand Prix this year, like many of his fellow drivers.

It seems to be his favourite of the two boats, as he often shares snaps from holidays on it, many with it in the background while he swims.

His second vessel is named Monza after the world-famous racing circuit – and is a speedy boat.

Charles paid approximately £1.5million for it back in 2020 and reportedly bought it to commemorate winning the Grand Prix at Monza the year before.

It’s 48ft long and can accommodate up to four guests across two cabins.

The lower deck has an L-shaped sofa with a coffee table in the centre. The master cabin has a huge king-sized bed as well as an ensuite.

MAURA Higgins has revealed her stunning living room makeover at her £1.15m mansion in Essex.

The Irish beauty, who bought the property in October, has been taking her time with the interior, waiting for the right furniture to put her stamp on it.

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She seemed right at home in a new video, making bolognese in her modern kitchen before enjoying it in the open plan sitting area.

Settling in to watch And Just Like That on her wall-mounted TV, Maura rested her bowl of food on a beige pouffe that also housed a diffuser and scented candle.

The space includes matching sofas, a fluffy bean bag, throws and a black marble floor.

Maura, who is reportedly worth £3.2m, wrote on her Instagram account dedicated to the property: “I finally have sofas!!!!!! @rowenhomes I can not thank you enough for these beautiful Boucle Sofas….

“My first weekend cooking in my new home & having my first piece of furniture has made it so perfect and cosy.”

She added that all of the furniture had been gifted to her.

Her followers were impressed with the stylish set up, with one commenting: “It’s really looking like a lovely home. Well done Maura they’re nothing like the feeling of owning your own home.”

Another said: “It’s starting to look really cosy.”

A third wrote: “Wow! It looks gorgeous!”

Maura has dubbed her five-bedroom detached home in a gated development, Casa A’Maura after the second villa on the show Love Island.

The TV star found fame on the series in 2019, alongside her best pal Molly-Mae Hague.

The 34-year-old’s new Instagram account has amassed over 70,000 followers and in her first post, Maura shared that she had finally moved into the new space.

The light-filled kitchen opens up seamlessly into the back garden with the help of bi-folding glass patio doors.

The large garden features both a patio and a lawn and is fenced all around with some guaranteed extra privacy guaranteed from the large bushes all around the properties.

It has two reception rooms and five “generously-sized” double bedrooms with one as a master bedroom that features an en-suite and custom-built wardrobes.

When she bought the property, Maura called it her “dream home” and also treated herself to a £60,000 Porsche too.

Her previous home was targeted by masked thieves, and the incident left Maura shaken.

A source said in 2023: “Neighbours caught it all on CCTV and it was chilling to see three masked men ram through the gates and start trying to break into cars.”

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Artist Sam Cox created the alter ego Mr Doodle, but slowly the lines became blurred and everyone feared for his mental health.

As a child, artist Sam Cox would draw from the moment he woke up to the moment he went to sleep. Through school and university, he wasn’t interested in anything but drawing. His time was increasingly spent doodling, and even on a night out, he’d sit in a corner drawing on his phone. But over time, he found himself caught in a nightmare of his own making – trapped in Doodle Land, leading to a psychotic break and being sectioned.

An intimate documentary, on Channel 4 tonight (July 9th) at 10pm, explores how Sam gradually morphed into Mr Doodle – an alter ego who ended up buying a mansion and painting it white, simply so that he could draw all over it. His mum Andrea says: “I remember my auntie saying to me, ‘It’s ok, it’s just that he’s a genius and sometimes geniuses go mad’. He was lost somewhere in some land that he no longer had control over.”

When Sam left university, he was given a year to see if he could make his art pay. He created Mr Doodle to draw attention to his work, dressing up as the persona and trying to sell drawings in the street for £1. Sam came to the notice of an international art dealer after a video of him doodling went viral – the money came in and he even met a woman. But it started to become unclear where Mr Doodle ended and Sam began. And then he bought the house… Sam says: “Whenever I try to talk about what happened to me, my heart starts racing.”

The Trouble With Mr Doodle is airing on Channel 4 tonight at 10pm

There’s plenty more on TV tonight – here’s the best of the rest…

SHIFTING GEARS, DISNEY+

Tim Allen (famously the voice of Buzz Lightyear and star of Home Improvement) leads the cast in this family comedy revolving around a car restoration shop. He plays Matt, the stubborn, widowed owner of the classic car workshop, whose life is upturned by the arrival of his estranged daughter and grandchildren. Riley (played by 2 Broke Girls actress Kat Dennings) drives up with her two kids in tow and asks for a place to stay in the wake of her divorce.

It all sets up for a classic odd couple format, with the father and daughter also having a couple of decades of emotional baggage to deal with. The jokes are a bit clunky and it’s hardly subtle. “When I build stuff, it’s built to last,” says Matt. “Except our relationship!” Riley replies. But it’s endearing and there’s comedy from the kids, including tween Carter who wants to improve Matt’s Instagram presence and Georgia, who wants to become a billionaire.

POISONED: KILLER IN THE POST, CHANNEL 4, 9pm

This heartbreaking documentary speaks to bereaved parents about the deaths of multiple young people who took a deadly poison being sold online. When a young man, Tom Parfett, died aged 22 in 2001 after ingesting the poison, Times journalist James Beal investigated and realised he was not the only victim. In fact, the poison was sent to hundreds of young people across the world, from the US to Canada, Germany and Australia.

This film follows what happened as James went undercover, discovering a dark world of online suicide forums. The seller has since been arrested and accused of sending over 1,200 poison packages to young people and is linked to 97 deaths in the UK. Tom’s dad David says: “Tom had a lot to look forward to. He was just a wonderful man. There’s not an hour when I don’t think about him. When I found out about this poison I was just so angry. The lives that have been lost, it’s just astonishing.”

BALLARD, PRIME VIDEO

This Bosch spin-off sees Detective Renee Ballard (Maggie Q) plunge into a web of murder and corruption as she hunts a ruthless serial killer and uncovers a sinister police conspiracy. She heads up the LAPD’s newly formed but underfunded cold case division, after being forced to step away from the homicide team. But with her own demons nipping at her heels, Ballard must outwit both criminals and colleagues to bring long-overdue justice to the victims and their families.

EASTENDERS, BBC1, 8pm

In a double bill, the Panesars are in crisis mode as Ravi and Suki try to rescue the businesses. Desperate for cash, Ravi approaches Nicola to get a drug contact and she warns him of the dangers. Angry that Felix has left her in the lurch, Cindy berates Callum for kissing Johnny, only for Lexi to overhear. Lauren looks to Peter for reassurances about Jimmy’s diagnosis. Ian suggests to Stacey that they reopen Martin’s stall. She agrees it’s a good legacy.

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