Reality show favourite Escape to the Chateau might have ended but the Dick and Angel love story has endured, pleasing thousands of fans following their French dream.
But according to a recent article in the Times, their relationship was not necessarily destined to last, despite it being love at first sight for Dick Strawbridge when he first met Angel Adoree by chance in 2010. The DIY show stars were introduced by their mutual agent at a 40th birthday party. Angel, 44, was hosting, and the connection between the two was instant.
Angel - real name Angela Newman - admitted she blushed throughout her short talk with the former British Army lieutenant-colonel, while Dick, 63, who has also appeared in Coast and Scrapheap Challenge, admitted he could not take his eyes off the red-headed interior designer.
"The first thing I saw when I met Angel - I call her Angela - was her smile. It's phenomenal," he previously told The Times. "We barely spoke that night, but we knew that there was something at first sight. And we fell in love very quickly."
At the time, Dick had been single for six years having separated from his first wife Brigit, with whom he has adult children James, 38, and Charlotte, 36. According to an article in the Mirror, in the early days of their courtship, he showered her with gifts as they dated long distance, with Dick based in Cornwall and Angel in London.
But Dick, then 51, was afraid to ask his new love her age. he told the Daily Mail: "I was over 50 when I met Angel, and I didn't ask her age because that was a scary thing to do. Despite their mutual feelings, Dick felt there could be no long-term future with an age gap of 20 years. At one point, he attempted to end the relationship, believing Angel should find a younger man to start a family.
He told the Times: "After spending Christmas together we knew we had to have the conversation. I said: 'Damn, girl, this is wonderful, but we really have to think about ending this.'" And in a separate interview, he explained: "Angel and I had our fun, then I told her it was time for her find a young man, have children, because I felt I shouldn't keep her from that."
However, Angel had other ideas. "What she said, bloody woman, was that she actually wanted me," Dick added, admitting it made him realise, "You're a long time dead. Why wouldn't you just jump in and live life?"
Serious about starting a family, 16 months into their relationship Angel was said to have given Dick an ultimatum, handing him a calendar with the words "impregnate me by this date" written on it. He beat the target and together they have now had son Arthur, nine, and Dorothy, eight.
Then the couple swapped their two-bed home in east London for a dilapidated 45-room chateau in France's Pays de la Loire region. The moated property cost just £280,000 but has since been transformed into a dreamy wedding venue, commanding fees of up to £38,000 a time. A reality show charting the renovation and subsequent events over nine series ran on Channel 4 between 2016 and 2022.
Dick and Angel actually tied the knot at their imposing residence, sharing their special day on their Channel 4 show. And while Dick might be two decades older, Angel has always remained in awe of his can-do attitude. "It [the age gap] just didn't matter. I didn't think about it really," she previously told The Sun.
"Age is but a number, and Dick's always had a really wonderful energy and he's a doer. He is just so passionate about life. Everything Dick has done in his life, he's got the most out of it. I just love that about him."
On Dec 29, OK! magazine announced that Dick and Angel had put their imposing property on the market for just under £725,000.
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