Anita Dobson, wife of Queen guitarist Brian May, has opened up about the emotional impact of swapping their London home for a sprawling estate in Surrey. The couple moved from a £7million Kensington residence to a £25million property on a 200-acre estate in Windlesham last year.
The decision to relocate was prompted by a sewage flood at their previous home in 2021, which destroyed some of Brian's memorabilia. Anita said Brian has "never been happier" in the countryside, falling in love with the trees, flowers, grass and lake before even seeing the house.
However, the 76-year-old former EastEnders star admitted she misses London. "I remember thinking, 'I'm buying my own retirement home,' because it's quiet. I do miss London. I miss the lights, the noise, even the dirt - I was born in that dirt. But I know what I'm facing ahead of me," she told The Sunday Telegraph.
The property, originally built in the 1920s, includes an observatory for Brian's stargazing, an indoor swimming pool, studio, spa, sauna and gym. Anita described her husband as a "hoarder" who collects Star Wars memorabilia, dinosaurs, and buys two of everything—one for himself and one for his grandchildren.
Anita admitted she also has "semi-hoarding tendencies," making it hard to declutter. "I try to lessen the accumulation of stuff that comes in. My husband is really clever so any little things that come in that you think are useless he will go, 'No, no, don't get rid of that because it might come in useful,'" she said.
