Stacey Dooley has revealed that friends questioned her decision to leave London for Liverpool, with some warning she might "never work again". The documentary filmmaker and her partner, former Strictly Come Dancing professional Kevin Clifton, moved to Merseyside with their daughter Minnie in 2023.
Move described as 'not a sensible, thought-through plan'
Speaking on the Home Again Podcast, Stacey admitted the relocation was not the most carefully considered decision. "It's not like it was a very sort of sensible, thought-through plan. It was more like, 'I want this house. Let's do it'. And Kev's such a good sport cos everyone's like, 'You're moving from London to Liverpool?'"
She recalled telling friends she had decided the previous week, and that Kevin was "pretty relaxed" about the move. "Like, if I say, 'Oh, we're going to'...If I said to Kev tomorrow, 'We're moving to the Isle of Skye', I think he would actually just move to the Isle of Skye."
'Element of snobbery' about leaving London
Stacey, whose credits include Stacey Dooley Investigates, Ready for War?, Inside the Undertakers and Meet the Shoplifters, said people in her friendship group challenged whether leaving London could harm her career. She also highlighted what she called an "element of snobbery" and said her mortgage adviser pressed her on how she would keep up with monthly repayments.
She pointed out that she was moving to Liverpool, not "Mars", adding: "I do think sometimes as well, it's like a sudden thing. There's like an element of snobbery. It's like, 'Oh, you're leaving London.' 'Like, you're never going to work again', or you know, 'All the opportunities are down here'. I don't really think that's so true anymore, especially being so close to Manchester."
'I can't imagine not living there'
Recording the podcast from London, Stacey said: "I can't imagine being back down here now. Isn't that funny? Like, you never know what's going to happen. And I'm actually quite sort of loose with plans, sort of long-term plans, but I can't imagine not living there at the moment, for the time being."
Stacey, who has described herself as an "honorary Scouser" due to family roots in Speke, said she is "so happy" in her new home. She appears on Clickbait Clinic with Stacey Dooley on BBC One on October 12, from 8.30pm to 9pm.
