Latest news with #simplerlife
News.com.au
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Ellen DeGeneres confirms real reason she fled US for simpler life in the UK: ‘Staying here'
Ellen DeGeneres has revealed the real reason she moved to the UK during her first public appearance since relocating across the pond. The US comedian moved to the Cotswolds with her wife, Aussie actress Portia de Rossi, last November – and it appears they plan on 'staying here' for good because life 'is just better' in the UK, as per the BBC. During a conversation with British broadcaster Richard Bacon at the Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham, DeGeneres confirmed widespread reports she moved to the UK due to Donald Trump's re-election as US president. 'We got here the day before the election and woke up to lots of texts from our friends with crying emojis, and I was like, 'He got in,'' she recalled. 'And we're like, 'We're staying here.'' The 67-year-old former talk show host revealed that she and de Rossi had initially planned to spend only three or four months a year in the UK, where they had bought 'a part-time house' in the Cotswolds which spans parts of Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire. But the couple – who have shared glimpses of their new rural life on social media – have fallen in love with their new lives overseas, from the township to their farm animals. 'It's absolutely beautiful,' said DeGeneres, who used to reside in Montecito, California. 'We're just not used to seeing this kind of beauty. The villages and the towns and the architecture – everything you see is charming and it's just a simpler way of life.' 'It's clean. Everything here is just better – the way animals are treated, people are polite. I just love it here. 'We moved here in November, which was not the ideal time, but I saw snow for the first time in my life. We love it here. Portia flew her horses here, and I have chickens, and we had sheep for about two weeks.' During her public appearance, the star also spoke about the idea of having a talk show in the UK, three years after her The Ellen DeGeneres Show was cancelled in the wake of allegations of a toxic workplace. The comedian admitted that although she misses 'a lot' about her show, she doesn't think a similar program will work in today's society. 'I mean, I wish it did, because I would do the same thing here. I would love to do that again, but I just feel like people are watching on their phones, or people aren't really paying attention as much to televisions, because we're so inundated with information and entertainment.' DeGeneres says she doesn't know what the future of her career looks like, but she will pick her next move 'very carefully'. 'I just don't know what that is yet,' she said. 'I want to have fun, I want to do something. I do like my chickens but I'm a little bit bored.'
Daily Mail
08-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- Daily Mail
It looks like a big country shed. For one savvy Aussie couple it's their dream home - and it all makes sense when you step inside (and learn the $365k price tag)
When Claire and Brett Wells decided to start building their dream home in country Victoria, they weren't chasing luxury. They were chasing freedom. The Geelong couple, who have been together for 10 years and are parents to four young-adult daughters between them, were craving a simpler life - and they've found it in the form of a shed. But this isn't your average backyard tin box. The couple have transformed a humble shed structure into a stunning, architecturally inspired sanctuary nestled on five acres at the foot of the breathtaking Grampians Mountain range. Only a two-hour drive from their current home the plot near the small town of Moyston is equal parts an off-grid retreat and modern design marvel, and astonishingly it's entirely their own creation. 'It's actually our weekender at the moment,' Claire told FEMAIL. 'We'll use it on weekends and in the holidays until our lifestyle changes, with a plan to eventually relocate out there at some point.' The couple's journey to rural life began in 2020 during Melbourne 's harshest Covid-19 lockdowns and her husband Brett's heartbreaking stage-three cancer diagnosis. Claire also lost her job during the pandemic too. Stuck at home and both stripped of their usual routines, the couple were forced to rethink everything. 'That's what sparked this whole change and what we wanted out of life,' she said. 'Everyone was thinking about getting out of the city, but Melburnians couldn't travel outside of their zone at that time. So, I think, we probably had the upper hand as there wasn't a lot of competition for the land at the time.' Dreaming of a quieter life, a home with space to breathe, and a way to live without being tied to a mortgage, the idea of a shed conversion was born. 'Where can you buy a brand-new house now for $365,000, you know?' Claire said after telling FEMAIL that the build itself cost $250,000, with the land adding to the grand total. 'Housing affordability is getting further and further out of people's reach, so you have to think outside of the box [with] housing. You don't need a big home.' The pair mapped out their new vision: fresh country air, a slower pace, financial freedom, and a house they could build themselves, from the ground up. Four years on, their unconventional home rises like a black barn from the paddock with its bold exterior housing a surprisingly airy and light-filled interior. The shed-like frame was a practical choice, ticking boxes for affordability, bushfire safety, and simple construction. But Claire, who led the design and project management herself, said the process was far from easy. 'I come from the construction background, so we were originally thinking about doing a tiny home on wheels and also explored shipping container homes because we wanted something small.' The shed-like frame was a practical choice, ticking boxes for affordability, bushfire safety, and simple construction. But Claire, who led the design and project management herself, said the process was far from easy Affordability, simple design, off-grid living and a home that was 'on the ground, so it was an actual appreciating asset,' were all important factors for the couple. After deciding on their concept of a large shed frame, the Wells' quickly discovered the complexities around such a unique build as not many companies offered the service. 'We took the portal shed frames and then the house design, and had to marry the two together. So lots of my time went into designing and working with floor plans with a draftee to help us put the formal house plans together to submit to council.' Inside, Claire insisted on having soaring 6.3-metre ceilings to create a sense of space and calm. The open plan living, kitchen and dining area flow seamlessly under the vaulted roofline and a bespoke spiral staircase leads to a mezzanine that doubles as a guest room and home office, with sweeping views of the surrounding bushland. Claire and Brett did most of the building work themselves, often spending full weekends on-site before driving back to town to resume their daily lives during the week. 'He's not a builder or a trades person, but he's super handy,' Claire said of her husband Brett, who at the time was working as a teacher and chipped away on the project in his downtime. The couple did most of the building work themselves, and they even added wheels to their furniture to make the most of the ever-changing views Having grown up on building sites with his builder dad, Brett brought serious hands-on skills to the table. He hand-carved the timber benchtops, laid polished concrete floors, and helped install large, double-glazed windows to frame the picture-perfect landscape. 'Even when you're inside, it feels like you're outside,' said Claire. 'It has big, high, open ceiling spaces, with big windows and by folding sliding doors, to capture all the light and surrounding bush.' To make the most of the ever-changing views, they even added wheels to their furniture. 'That way we can follow the sun or catch the sunset behind the peaks,' she added. The home is fully off-grid, powered by a small solar system that supports ultra-efficient appliances, like their camping fridge, portable induction cooktop and a Ninja multi-cooker instead of a traditional oven. They also rely on rainwater tanks and a composting toilet, proving that living sustainably doesn't have to mean sacrificing comfort or style. With their daughters now grown and all leaving the nest soon, Claire and Brett are looking forward to this next chapter, just the two of them in their little piece of paradise. They've even planted a mini vineyard with 200 chardonnay and shiraz grapevines, alongside an orchard of cherries, apricots, peaches and chestnuts. 'I'm a very romantic person at heart, and I've always loved the idea of having my own little vineyard. So we planted it before we even built the house, while we were still in that planning phase.' On an even brighter note and after a long battle, Brett was finally cleared of cancer last month. 'It's just a weight off our minds knowing that that chapter is behind us now, we can breathe a bit easier and look towards the future.'
