Latest news with #BenjaminSlade
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EDEN CONFIDENTIAL: End of an era as sonless Sir Benjamin Slade turns his mansion over to hotel group
His quest for a wife secured him national attention when he emphasised that he was looking for a 'good breeder' decades younger than him, having explained that when 'you want a new car, you get a new car, not some old banger'. But I can disclose that, aged 79, Sir Benjamin Slade has accepted that he will never sire a lad to inherit his baronetcy, created for his great-great-great grandfather in 1831, and Maunsel House, the family seat in Somerset, and its 1,300-acre estate. Accordingly, he's now thrashing out a deal which will see Maunsel leased for the next 40 years. The incomer won't be a private individual but a corporate entity. 'I've got a deal with a hotel group. They're very upmarket,' Sir Benjy assures me, adding that he's intent on securing a final agreement which allows him to use Maunsel 'three or four times a year', even though he'll be paying for the privilege whenever he does so. He refrains from naming the hotel group, though it's probably a British one, given that he's previously summarised Russians as 'dishonest', Chinese as 'impossible' and Arabs 'a bloody nightmare', as well as making it clear that he won't do business 'with any country which has green in [its] flag'. That does, of course, leave open the possibility of a newcomer from the USA, a country with which Sir Benjy, who lives in a farmhouse on the estate, has numerous connections. These emerged in 2005 when he embarked on a proposed reality TV show which would have seen the remains of his 12th century ancestor William Atte Slade exhumed and compared with DNA from thousands of would-be Slade heirs from around the world. By then, Sir Benjy's 14-year childless marriage to Pauline Myburgh was long over. So, too, was a six-year romance with Fiona Aitken – now Countess of Carnarvon. Sir Ben's most recent love affair was with an American, Sahara Sunday Spain. In 2020, she bore him a child – who, alas for her prospects as Sir Benjamin's heir, was a girl, Violet. Perhaps one day she'll check into the hotel alongside him? Soprano's secret romance Danielle De Niese's life has been almost as dramatic as some of the operas she stars in, ever since she won a talent contest aged nine in Melbourne, Australia, before moving to Los Angeles, where she won an Emmy award while still only 19. The soprano, 46, has, though, revealed that she didn't want to tempt fate after falling in love with Gus Christie, 61, executive chairman of Glyndebourne opera house in East Sussex. They followed in the footsteps of Gus's grandfather John Christie, the founder of Glyndebourne, who had married the soprano Audrey Mildmay 70 years earlier. 'We became a couple, and we were very quiet about it because there's a very storied, fabled origin story about Glyndebourne about John marrying this soprano,' the singer says. 'So when Gus and I were in our early courtship days, we didn't tell anybody because I didn't want to get over-excited.' Cinderella star's slippery moment A glass slipper is pivotal to the fairy tale Cinderella, yet it proved more of a sore point for Lily James, who played the leading role in Disney's 2015 film version. The Downton Abbey and Mamma Mia 2 star, 36, reveals that she tried to make the wishes of a friend's niece come true by video-calling her while wearing a Cinderella costume and the Jimmy Choo diamond-encrusted stilettos made specifically for the film. 'This little girl lit up,' Lily recalls. 'Then I said, 'Look, I'm going to put it on'.' To her horror, the Surrey-born star found it a tight squeeze. She reveals: 'I'd been dancing all night at [London club] Koko, and my feet were swollen. I couldn't get the shoe on...' Forget sun tans - Lila chills in an electric face mask Spare a thought for the model Lila Moss, who feels the need to use cumbersome beauty treatments even while on holiday. The 22-year-old daughter of Kate Moss and magazine editor Jefferson Hack used a black LED face mask while reading on Formentera, the Spanish island. The anti-ageing light therapy device is said to help improve skin tone. Lila is on a break with her friend Lady Lola Bute, 26, daughter of the late 7th Marquess of Bute, aka racing driver Johnny Dumfries. Lila, who is a type 1 diabetic, could also be seen wearing a glucose monitor in the snap. Earlier this year, she fronted the campaign for Mattel's first diabetic Barbie. Things are looking up for Victoria Cipriani. Amid her acrimonious divorce from former England rugby star Danny Cipriani, she has announced she's now a certified neuroscience practitioner. 'I didn't get here through manifesting,' declares Victoria, 43. 'I got here through pain, practice, and a relentless need to understand myself.' Veteran actress Anne Reid, who recently played Queen Elizabeth in the play By Royal Appointment, recalls the disastrous time she performed in front of the late monarch and forgot her lines. The 90-year-old says: 'On one occasion at Buckingham Palace, I was performing a scene from Romeo and Juliet. I was playing the nurse and was terrified and 'dried' in the middle of my speech, so I ended up waffling and making rather a lot up. 'Afterwards, the Queen said to me, 'You had a lot to say, didn't you?' I replied, 'Yes, too much'.
IOL News
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- IOL News
Age is just a number: women line up to woo 78-year-old millionaire on Tinder
A young woman on her phone trying to enlist on an online dating app. Image: Unsplash In a curious case of age meeting ambition, Sir Benjamin Slade's quest for love has become a viral sensation, proving that the search for an heir can also be a tale of modern romance. The 78-year-old millionaire, best known for his extravagant 50-room countryside estate, is back in the spotlight as women across the globe heed the call to "shoot their shot". It all started when Sir Slade made headlines by joining Tinder, seeking not only companionship but also a potential heir to inherit his fortune and estate. This quirky foray into the world of online dating has been reignited, thanks to a recently resurfaced clip from the Channel 5 series "Millionaire Age Gap Love", which has amassed nearly two million views on TikTok within 24 hours. For many, this was the first glimpse into Sir Slade's capricious yet sincere search for love, and it left viewers amused and captivated. His journey hasn't been without its share of narrative twists. Reports suggest that Slade's quest for a younger partner stems from a 2017 separation from his long-term partner, Bridget Convey, whom he deemed too old to bear children. With a list of specific requirements - such as having a shotgun licence, a driving licence, and being sprightly enough to potentially provide heirs - his approach is as unconventional as it is entertaining. In the trending TikTok clip, he enlists the help of Jess, one of his staff members, to navigate the dating app world. Together, they curate a Tinder profile that features his aspirations and hopes for his future soulmate, presenting a humorous juxtaposition of Sir Slade's stately persona and the frivolity of finding love online. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕
