Kirstie Allsopp
Queen of homes and all things craft, Kirstie Allsop opens up about turning 50, family life and learning to live in the now…
Kirstie Allsopp, who lives in London and Devon with her partner, Ben Andersen, and sons, Bay, 14, Oscar, 12, plus stepsons, Orion, 21, and Hal, 18, is back on our screens with Phil Spencer in hit property show Location, Location,Location. Here, the TV presenter talks about how important craft has been during lockdown and why Covid forced her to slow down, and smell the coffee…
Hi Kirsty. What relaxes you around the house?
Just pottering around. Tidying, cleaning, doing laundry. There’s quite a lot of it! If you change the sheets every week, wash the towels every other day, if you’re slightly fastidious as I am, you don’t ever want to turn around and see any dust! Ben’s very good with the bin and does the hoovering, but the lion’s share of the domestic tasks falls to me. That said, before lockdown, I’d make sure the house was completely tidy before I left it. Now I’ve learned you should grab the opportunity and have a walk, when the sun is out.
Where did your love of craft begin?
Crafting and making things were really important in my childhood
– that’s where I got the bug. Both my parents were painters, and my mother made things all the time – sewed dresses, altered clothes, created dolls’ clothes and painted furniture. When I started on Location, Location, Location, if we stopped anywhere, I’d be like a rabbit down a hole into local antique shops or craft shops. There’s an immediate satisfaction you get from making something.
It’s good for your mental health too, isn’t it?
You feel so much better about the world when you’ve done something with your hands. I get a similar high from cleaning. That said, I’m not interested in dusting at all. There’s an endorphin rush from producing something, making something, but also from creating order.
Family is also super important to you…
Oh, family comes first. My boys are going through a gaming phase at the moment. It’s difficult, because kids are not in contact with their friends as much, so anything that enables them to have that communication is good. Having tools like Snapchat have been great, it helps to keep them sane.
Do you worry about your kids and screens?
I held out as long as I could. My son was almost the last in his class to have a phone. There are many positives and negatives, and it’s incredibly difficult for parents to navigate. With the Coronavirus, my biggest fear is the damage done to young people’s mental health.
How have your boys coped?
Generally, OK. They’ve both had Coronavirus and their father as well, last March. My aunt had it, and my sister, too, and she now has long Covid, which is miserable. My mother was 66 when she died of cancer. My father-in-law was 86. The children know about death, and they know that people do die, for lots of different reasons.
Tell us about you and Ben…
I’m lucky. We haven’t struggled in lockdown. I know loads of people who have, and I feel really sorry for them. I’m not saying that everyone doesn’t have up or down days, when they’re irritated by their partner or their partner is irritated by them,
though. Ben and I share interests, we both love antiques and crafts, and that really helps. He’s a brilliant father, a generous friend, and a really positive spirit.
Has your personal style evolved during lockdown?
I didn’t let myself go. I get up, I blowdry my hair… I don’t think it’s fair on Ben, apart from anything else. I still wear perfume, the whole thing. The idea that I might have stayed in bed this morning and worked from there makes me feel itchy. It’s not in my DNA to lounge around in casual clothes. The slobbiest I get is my nightie and a nice dressing gown!
How do you feel about turning 50 in August?
If I could change my birth certificate, I would! As you get older you creak more, and you wrinkle more. So I’m not dwelling on the birthday. I’ve become more anxious as I’ve got older. I used to think ‘as long as you always tell the truth, and believe what you say, that’s all that matters. Now, I think there are people who, for their own gain, cause trouble and shout people down. It’s not always good enough to try to be honest and true.
What have you learned in the past year?
I haven’t had a complete character change, but I am learning that you need to stop tidying and start prioritising. Another lesson is to live in the moment and to treasure everything. I’m learning that slowly, and probably too late, to some degree. With Covid, there were certain things I couldn’t control, and I just had to accept that situation.
Location, Location,
Location Channel 4, Wed at 8pm.