Spot anything fishy in Noel’s rowing boat?*
WITH his baseball cap pulled down tight and his gaze intent on the water in front of him, this hunched figure looks every bit the contemplative fisherman.
And if the designer stubble appears familiar, it’s hardly surprising: the ornamental lake in the Gloucestershire countryside is owned by Noel Edmonds, who lives in nearby Fieldgrove House.
Yet a closer look reveals a bizarre secret. For the angler is not, in fact, the Deal Or No Deal presenter enjoying a leisurely few hours – but a dummy, its hands gaffer-taped to a rod and line. The mannequin, which has been on the lake for weeks, was first spotted by walkers using a footpath that borders the property.
It is not known why the 68-yearold has created such an elaborate scene. But the seven-bedroom mansion, described by estate agents Knight Frank as an ‘exceptional Grade II listed family home’, has been on the market for the past 18 months, leading to suspicions it may be an attempt by Edmonds to attract a buyer.
It is not the first time his use of a dummy has attracted attention. In May 2010, it was revealed the presenter, who drives a black cab instead of a car, puts a mannequin called ‘Candice’ in the back to stop the public hailing him down.