‘I’m a country girl at heart’
Leaving the city for a quieter life completely transformed Jodie Kidd’s mental health. Here, the supermodel turned pub landlady reflects on finally finding fulfilment
Jodie Kidd was just 15 when she was “spotted” on a beach in Barbados by fashion photographer Terry O’neill. She went on to forge a career as a top model, opening catwalk shows for the likes of Givenchy, Moschino and Alexander Mcqueen, but at 22 she quit the industry, revealing it had caused her extreme anxiety and panic attacks.
These days, Jodie is living a very different – and, thankfully, much happier – kind of life. She’s left the bright lights of London behind and returned to her country roots, buying a property close to her childhood home in
West Sussex, where she is bringing up her nine-year-old son Indio – whose father is her Argentinian polo player ex Andrea Vianini.
She’s also in a long-term relationship with former special forces soldier Joseph Bates.
Living an idyllic rural life with a menagerie of chickens, dogs and horses has helped restore Jodie’s mental wellbeing, and her career is also thriving. She made a name for herself on TV, with appearances on Strictly Come Dancing and Celebrity Masterchef, and presenting series such as Channel 5’s The Classic Car Show. And now she’s reinvented herself as a pub landlady, after buying The Half Moon in Kirdford in 2017 – her local village pub, which dates back to the 15th Century.
Here, Jodie, 42, chats about running a pub in a pandemic, the joy her dramatic life changes have brought her and why she isn’t fazed by growing older…
Hi, Jodie! Supermodel to pub landlady is quite a transition. How have you found it?
At first, I had no idea what I was doing! When I moved back to West Sussex, I noticed that a lot of the pubs I used to frequent as a youngster were gone. They’d been turned into houses. My local, The Half Moon, was closed and for sale, and I heard developers were sniffing around to turn it into houses. I thought, “I can’t allow this to happen to another beautiful pub.” Once I took it on, I thought, “Oh my God, what have I done?” I had no idea how to run a pub and it was a very steep learning curve.
It must have involved some hard graft…
I literally put blood, sweat and tears into it. But I’m so proud of The Half Moon and what we’ve built, and our locals have become like family. Our beautiful little pub is at the centre of the community and that’s why I’m so passionate about bringing awareness to how desperate the situation is for pubs.
In what way?
Pubs were struggling before the pandemic, so I’m championing a campaign called Long Live The Local, to freeze or lower beer duty. Our beer duty is astronomically high compared to some other European countries, as is our business rates tax and VAT. We were losing up to three pubs a day pre-pandemic and now it’s more like five pubs. So this is a call to action to the government to support the pub and hospitality industry.
How tough have things been for
The Half Moon during the pandemic?
We were closed and had zero revenue for a long time. We were literally holding on with our fingernails, along with lots of other people in the industry. It’s been so nice to return to work and do what I love. I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved. We have a big focus on food, with an organic kitchen garden, and we’ve been awarded two rosettes. Don’t get me wrong, there have also been many times when I’ve thought that this is the worst decision ever, but the good definitely outweighs the bad a million times over.
You were a finalist on Celebrity Masterchef back in 2014. Did that experience help to ignite your passion for food?
Definitely. My relationship with food as a youngster was typical – I didn’t eat a vegetable until I was a teenager, and then, going into modelling, food wasn’t particularly high on the agenda! When I was asked to do Masterchef, I threw myself into it and that’s when I discovered how incredible food is. That was a big reason behind why I got the pub, because I wanted to become a better chef.
Have you found it hard to balance the full-on nature of running a pub with family life?
At the beginning, yes, because I was doing all the interiors and I was overseeing the menu and the wine choices, and doing front-ofhouse stuff. But I’ve got the most incredible team and now I’ve started sitting back and enjoying
it more. My son, Indio, loves it there and we always go for Sunday lunch.
Do you enjoy living in the country again?
I love it. And it’s so nice for my son to have the kind of upbringing I had. We grow all our own veg and we own horses and chickens and dogs. I think it’s good for Indio to understand the responsibilities of having to look after them. It’s a very grounding childhood.
Do you miss the buzz of life in the city?
It’s always a real treat to come up to town and take Indio to Hamleys. But then when I hit the A3 and I turn off onto country roads and the air is cleaner, I relax again. The countryside is everything to me. I couldn’t go back to living in the city.
Other than your business worries, how have you fared during the pandemic?
It was tough. We live with a 91-year-old – my childhood guardian, Rachel, who brought me up – and she was shielding, so we were all scared of passing Covid to her. Indio is only nine and that was a lot of pressure to put on him. But he’s a very sensible, wonderful, gorgeous boy and he’s dealt with it well.
Did it mean you were able to spend more quality time with your partner, Joseph?
Yes, because we’re a family that normally works 24/7! So we finally got to spend some proper time together. That was wonderful and I really treasured those moments.
Do you miss the glamour of travelling for work when you were modelling?
I did that and I’ve got that T-shirt, but I don’t feel the urge any more. Going to Wimbledon recently was the first time I got out of my pyjamas for a long time! I did love getting dressed up, putting on a nice frock and high heels, but I’m a local, country girl at heart.
You were plagued by anxiety and panic attacks as a teenage model. Do you still suffer with anxiety?
If I do any public speaking or live TV shows, the nerves get very close to anxiety. So it does lurk. But I’ve mostly curbed it by moving to the countryside and having a really good balance of exercise, eating well and looking after my body. I still have fun and I’m partial to a glass of wine, but I’m just kinder to myself now. I went through some very dark times, but I got on top of it and I understood what was going on with my body. Back then, no one really talked about mental health but now everyone’s a lot more open about it, which is really important.
What do you do when you feel anxiety creeping up?
I change my mindset and that’s usually by going for a walk or moving my body in some way. Being active is incredibly important.
‘My pub is at the centre of the community – our locals are like family’
Has getting older helped you to feel more at ease with yourself?
Absolutely. When you’re a youngster, there’s so much more pressure and now I feel comfortable in my own skin. Ideally, I’d like to grow old like Jane Fonda – she looks incredible. I’ll be tracking down her surgeon when I’m 70, that’s for sure!