Anne Robinson has made the "heartbreaking decision" to leave her home in the Cotswolds after nearly 40 years, selling her Grade-II listed 18th-century barn for £4.25 million. The Weakest Link presenter, 81, is moving to a fourth-floor terrace overlooking Hyde Park in London to be closer to her daughter, Emma, and her two grandsons.
Reason for Leaving
Robinson told The Telegraph that while she was "thrilled" when Jeremy Clarkson arrived in the area after buying Diddly Squat Farm in 2008, the time is right to sell. She noted "massive changes" in the region, with tech titans earning the Cotswolds the nickname "Sili-Coln-Valley."
"I will be 82 in the autumn. I'm fit, but aware of how many of my girl friends are trying to cope with an elderly, infirm mother miles away. I wouldn't pass a driving test. I don't want anyone to dictate my future," she said.
New London Home
Robinson has purchased a "beautiful fourth-floor terrace filled with trees and plants overlooking Hyde Park," with a small flat attached. It is only a few streets away from her daughter Emma, who shares sons Hudson and Parker with husband Liam. "We've booked visits to the Tate and lined up plays to see," Robinson added.
She will be joined by her Australian labradoodle, Martha, who she jokes will have to "learn to love parakeets and cockapoos." The barn is being handled by estate agent Sam Butler, grandson of former Chancellor Rab Butler.
