Kirstie Allsopp

Kirstie Allsopp
Born
Kirstie Mary Allsopp

(1971-08-31) 31 August 1971 (age 53)
Hampstead, London, England[1]
OccupationTV presenter
Notable credits
PartnerBen Andersen
Children2
FatherCharles Allsopp, 6th Baron Hindlip
RelativesSofie Allsopp (sister)
Cath Kidston (cousin)

Kirstie Mary Allsopp[2] (born 31 August 1971)[3] is a British television presenter, best known as co-presenter of Channel 4 property shows including Location, Location, Location, Love It or List It UK, Relocation, Relocation and Location Revisited.

Background

Allsopp is the eldest child and daughter of Charles Allsopp, 6th Baron Hindlip, a former chairman of Christie's, by his marriage to Fiona Victoria Jean Atherley McGowan (1947–2014).[4][5] She has a younger brother, Henry William (b. 1973), and two younger sisters, Sofie (b. 1980) and Natasha Fiona (b. 1986).[6] Owing to her father's peerage, she is entitled to use the courtesy style The Honourable Kirstie Allsopp.[7] The designer and businesswoman Cath Kidston is her cousin.[8][9]

She attended ten schools as a child,[10][11] including St Clotilde's in Lechlade, Gloucestershire,[12] and Bedales near Petersfield, Hampshire. After spending time in India teaching English, Allsopp returned to the UK and began a series of positions, working for Country Living and Food & Home magazines and her mother's business, Hindlip & Prentice Interiors, and studying at Christie's.[citation needed] Allsopp set up her own home search company, Kirmir, in 1996, focusing on top end purchases in Central and West London.[13]

In August 2014, Allsopp was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to The Guardian opposing Scottish independence in the run-up to September's referendum on that issue.[14]

Personal life

Her partner is property developer Ben Andersen, and they have two sons, Bay (b. 2006) and Oscar (b. 2008).[15] She is also stepmother to her partner's two sons from a previous relationship. They live in London.[16]

In 2009 Allsopp and her family bought and restored a house called Meadowgate, in rural Devon. It had been empty for 39 years. The restoration and interior decorating were the subject of the TV series Kirstie's Homemade Home.[17] It was again the setting for her Kirstie's Homemade Christmas programme, showing people how to have an individual Christmas using secondhand and homemade products such as wreaths from material found from nearby woods.[18]

Allsopp was criticised in 2022 for comments she made about people not being able to purchase housing, arguing many people are not willing to make enough sacrifices like cutting out coffee, Netflix and going to the gym. Allsopp, who received financial support from her family to purchase her first home, claimed "...there are loads of people who can [make sacrifices] and don’t." Following criticism Allsopp posted several responses on Twitter before quitting the platform.[19]

References

  1. ^ Taylor, Jeremy. "A Life in the Day: property expert Kirstie Allsopp" – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
  2. ^ Bryony Gordon (7 April 2009). "Kirstie Allsopp: 'I'm too opinionated for politics'". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved 31 December 2010. the Honourable Kirstie Allsopp (her father is the sixth Baron Hindlip)...
  3. ^ "Pass notes No 2,666: Kirstie Allsopp" The Guardian (19 October 2009). Retrieved 6 January 2010.
  4. ^ Sylvie Wilkinson (21 July 2021). "Channel 4 Love It or List It: Kirstie Allsopp's seriously posh connection to Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall". MyLondon. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  5. ^ Karen Robinson (4 December 2016). "The former Christie's chairman, father of Kirstie, has an expert eye for beauty". The Times. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  6. ^ "Kirstie Allsopp". The Guardian. 29 October 2010. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  7. ^ Sarah Rainey (25 September 2013). "Kirstie Allsopp: 'I don't do things I don't want to succeed in'". Daily Telegraph.
  8. ^ Wood, Zoe (9 August 2009). "Queen of florals Cath Kidston bucks the recession to profit from love of nostalgia | Life and style | The Guardian". London. Retrieved 29 April 2011.
  9. ^ Layton, Josh (7 May 2012). "Stranger relatives: Holly Valance is related to Benny Hill and the celebrities with fame in the family..." Daily Mirror. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
  10. ^ Five minutes With: Kirstie Allsopp, BBC News Online, 22 May 2010.
  11. ^ "Kirstie Allsopp". The Guardian. 29 October 2010. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  12. ^ Kirsty Allsopp: Class act, The Daily Telegraph, 25 September 2004.
  13. ^ Speakers Corner. "Kirstie Allsopp - Awards Hosts & Presenter - Speakers Corner". Speakerscorner.co.uk. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  14. ^ "Celebrities' open letter to Scotland – full text and list of signatories | Politics". theguardian.com. 7 August 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  15. ^ Kirstie Allsopp: no-nonsense, enthusiastic and exactly as she comes across on TV, The Daily Telegraph, 7 April 2009.
  16. ^ "Kirstie Allsopp". The Guardian. 29 October 2010. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  17. ^ ThisIsNorthDevon – Kirstie Allsopp's rural retreat available for rent Archived 9 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine, 24 April 2009.
  18. ^ The GuardianKirstie's homemade Christmas: do not try this at home?, 9 December 2009.
  19. ^ "Kirstie Allsopp says 'there are loads of people' who could buy a home but don't". Independent.co.uk. 7 February 2022.