Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen hands over Cotswolds estate amid 'end of life crisis'

Wales Online

11-06-2025

Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen hands over Cotswolds estate amid 'end of life crisis'
Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen has announced that he has handed over the ownership of his Cotswolds estate to his sons-in-law
Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen shared his "life-threatening" experience in his Sunday Times column
(Image: Mike Marsland, Mike Marsland/WireImagevia Getty Images )
TV personality and design guru Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen has passed on the ownership of his Cotswolds estate to his sons-in-law, following his struggle with a life-threatening experience.
In January, the 60-year-old design icon opened up about an "end of life crisis" he endured after a chilling encounter while filming for Netflix's Celebrity Bear Hunt, presented by Holly Willoughby and Bear Grylls, which saw him lose consciousness during an aquatic stunt.
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With his future in mind, the famed Changing Rooms presenter is "no longer lord of the manor" at the Cotswolds home, where he lives in the main house alongside his wife, Jackie, who is also 60, their daughter Hermione, aged 27, and her partner. His older daughter Cecile, 30, resides a stone's throw away within the estate with her husband and two children.
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During the process of transferring ownership, Laurence had a humorous time detailing to solicitors the nature of his decision: "One of the most amusing things was having to sit down with a solicitor for them to assess whether Jackie and I were being coerced into this by our bullying sons-in-law. Our friends just can't believe it. They go, 'what happens if you all fall out?'".
Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen's grand country home in the Cotswolds
(Image: llewelynbowen/Instagram )
Laurence, who boasts a net worth of £8 million, shared in the Sunday Times his disinterest in accumulating wealth for its own sake: "We're not going to be those old people sitting on a great big pile of cash. Terribly unhappy, terribly lonely," reports the Manchester Evening News.
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He added: "Owning a lot of stuff but not actually having the benefit of it. We are very, very privileged, but we have made this decision. We have manifested this life."
He went on to disclose a surprising detail about his family's property arrangements, with Hermione saying: "Hilariously, Cecile and I aren't on the deeds, because we inherit it anyway - it's actually the husbands.'"
Discussing a harrowing experience on Bear Grylls' Celebrity Bear Hunt that aired in February, Laurence opened up about the frightening moment he faced during the filming. While participating in a water challenge in Costa Rica, the then-59 year old interior designer got entangled in a bungee line and was dragged beneath the boat, staying submerged for a terrifying length of time until the show's safety crew pulled him out unconscious.
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Prior to joining the extreme reality show, he revealed his wife's opinion on the matter: "She feels it's got midlife crisis written all over it, although, as I keep telling her, I'm too old to have a midlife crisis, this is more like an end of life crisis."
Expressing his wife's envy towards his adventure, he said: "She's actually, frankly, incredibly jealous. She would love to do it and has always been mildly irritated that no one's ever asked her to do something like this."
He also mentioned his wife's readiness for emergencies, noting: "Because she literally has always had in her handbag, a SAS Survival Guide, to get herself out of all sorts. I meant to bring it actually and again, how foolishly, I completely forgot."
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The Mail reports that Laurence invited his family to stay at his spacious Cotswolds estate after he and wife Jackie realised the house was too large just for the two of them, remarking they "were rattling around the house like dried peas in a luxury tin".
As the house filled with family life, the star reflected on the changes, sharing: "We certainly aren't sliding into our sixtieth year with boredom calling. We want to use our time wisely and valuably. The way you design your world helps the way you feel.
"We have our big manor house filled with children and pieces of brightly coloured plastic and Peppa Pig again." For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter
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Laurence then mused about embracing this phase of life, adding: "I think its something that more and more people should be doing, for us boomers generation we're all sort of surprised we've made it to 60.
"I think everyone thought we would live fast and die young rather than live very, very slowly and die really quite old."