‘Neighbours asked me if I felt a vibe!’
BUT THE TOWIE STAR WASN’T FAZED LIVING IN A TWOBED VICTORIAN CONVERSION IN A FORMER ASYLUM...
SHUT up – it’s Harry Derbidge. The TOWIE star with the famous catchphrase was the one doing the listening when it came to taking sage advice from his parents about not squandering the money he made from the show.
At just 26, he has gone on to buy a Victorian, two-bedroom apartment and is now looking at a six-bed property – and having his own Instagram studio is a must. Harry is the creator of affordable, professional make-up brush range Celebrity Brushes.
When did you buy your first home?
I bought it two years ago with my partner, Dean. It was a twobed apartment in my home town of Brentwood, Essex.
It has been a perfect first flat for us but we are outgrowing it a bit. We are going through adoption and getting married so looking for the next step with our properties. I have done so many things in my career and I’ve saved quite well and want to put it into property. The next place needs to be quite a bit bigger.
How did you find house buying?
Buying a house was the scariest thing I’ve ever done. You have to see a solicitor, then X, Y and Z. It’s quite a stressful time I think, but once you are in there and decorating how you want it, you know you’ve done something right in life.
How did you decorate the place?
You can imagine – I’m from Essex. All the furniture was crystalised and mirrored. The sad thing is we will have to get rid of the mirror furniture if we have a baby because it’s not really child-proof. I think I might have to get rid of the diamante.
Did you add any bespoke features?
One of my rooms in my flat is a studio because I film loads of Instagram and social media content. It cost about £20,000 in lighting and equipment. I’ve invested in cameras and lighting. It’s literally just treated as a studio, it’s crazy. I will definitely create another studio in the new house. I love a big kitchen, and the flat at the moment is openplan. I love it when you have a massive kitchen, so a big kitchen is a must.
Is it a newbuild or something traditional?
The apartment is in Warley Hospital in Brentwood. It was an old asylum that had been converted into apartments. All my neighbours would ask if I could feel a vibe in the flat and a lot of people say they feel spirits, but I didn’t notice anything. The flats are beautiful, though. They are Victorian with original fittings and high ceilings. I have to put 50 candles in them just to make the place smell nice. Everyone from TOWIE lives around this area – I love it there.
Is it important to stay near family and friends?
Before I bought, I went to Manchester and rented but I never felt like I was home. You need to be close to friends and family.
Did anything go spectacularly wrong with buying?
The most stressful time was talking to the solicitor and talking about finances. Because of the nature of my career, my money comes in differently every month. But there weren’t any surprises, I always look at my accounts and I’ve always been good at saving and really careful with my money. I was 16 when I did TOWIE and my parents helped me look after my finances. At 16, I was making £60,000 from a panto. Who makes that at that age? It’s crazy when you think about it. I look back and I can’t believe that was happening. I was lucky to have a mum and dad who said put it into saving and don’t buy expensive wine with your mates in a club. They told me that it would better to put into property.
What’s going to be your next step with property?
I’m going to sell the apartment and buy a six-bedroom house. We have a business called Celebrity Brushes, and with a baby coming we want to run the business from home and be there when the baby comes. I’m hoping the prices drop a little bit and we can move in six months. I would definitely say look after this pandemic is over, my gut feeling tells me prices are going to drop. I still want the place to be glam, but nothing too crazy. I’ll keep a little bit of bling.
■ celebritybrushes.co.uk