Kirstie Allsopp is secretly married to property tycoon Ben Andersen
- Kirstie Allsopp and Ben Andersen recently married after being in a relationship for over 20 years.
- They had a private wedding ceremony at the Grosvenor Chapel in Mayfair.
- They also have two children named Bay, 15, and Oscar, 16.
Kirstie Allsopp and Ben Andersen say “I Do” in an intimate wedding
Kirstie Allsopp surprised her fans by secretly marrying property tycoon Ben Andersen after being together for over two decades.
The couple exchanged vows on Thursday, January 23, in a private ceremony at the Grosvenor Chapel in Mayfair, a venue known for its appearance in the film Love Actually.
The British television presenter, 53, expressed her happiness about marrying in a place that holds significance to her family. She shared,
“It was always my dream to marry in the same church where my parents and grandparents got married, and I am happy to know that we will live happily ever after.”
The wedding ceremony was attended by more than 70 guests, many of whom thought they were attending a birthday party for Andersen’s 64th birthday.
Kirstie explained to The Mail on Sunday,
“We already had a big party planned to mark Ben’s birthday, so most of our guests thought that’s what they were coming to celebrate, and we did just that, with lots of food, drink, and dancing and all my nephews and nieces running around, having a ball.”
Similarly, Kirstie’s sisters, Sofie Fletcher and Natasha Morley, designer India Hicks, and her cousin Jamie Allsopp were among the attendees.
The newly wedded couple shared two sons Bay, 15, and Oscar, 16. Additionally, Andersen has two sons Hal and Orion from a previous relationship.
In her post about the wedding, Allsopp reflected on the privilege of hearing her son give a speech at their wedding and noted that she had hoped for privacy on their special day.
She said,
“I share a great deal on here and so appreciate all the kind & interesting comments, but I felt our wedding should be private, and luckily on the day it was. Unfortunately it turned out that there was an unseen pap, so I have released a couple of our own pictures.”
“The upside is that at least I get a chance to thank publicly some of the lovely people who worked so hard, at such short notice, to make our wedding pretty special.”
The ceremony lasted about 40 minutes and included personal touches such as music from The Beatles’ “All You Need Is Love,”
Wedding Attires
Kirstie Allsopp wore a beautiful gold sequin and tulle gown by Oscar de la Renta for her wedding.
She bought the dress two weeks prior during a sale, and the designers added sleeves, thinking it was for an awards event.
Her groom, Ben Andersen, looked sharp in a royal blue suit with a white shirt.
The couple described their wedding arrangements as enchanting but quickly organized, with many details arranged last minute due to their wish for secrecy.
Similarly, Kirstie expressed gratitude to everyone who helped make her special day possible on short notice, including the dressmakers who customized her gown.
Kirstie Allsopp and Ben Andersen: Relationship Timeline
Kirstie Allsopp and Ben Andersen first met in 2004 at a party for Tory MP candidate Orlando Fraser.
The two were introduced by Ben’s ex-wife, Theresa, who was also a school friend of Kirstie’s.
At that time, Ben had been separated from Theresa for about five months, but Kirstie had faced accusations of being a homewrecker throughout their relationship.
Meanwhile, Kirstie and Ben kept a low profile throughout their time together and rarely appeared in public. They also shared two sons, Bay, born in 2005, and Oscar, born in 2007.
The television presenter addressed speculation about their relationship by clarifying that she did not “steal” Andersen from his previous marriage, stating that he was separated when they met.
In 2009, she confirmed that when she fell in love with him, he was no longer married. She expressed this sentiment in an interview, saying,
“Of course peopel fall in love with other people’s husbands but luckily when I met Ben and fell in love with him, he was no longer anybody else’s husband.”
In 2020, Kirstie said she was “happily unmarried” and did not feel the need to marry despite being in a long-term relationship.
In 2023, Ben surprised her by proposing after nearly 21 years together, which changed their relationship dynamic since he had previously expressed that he did not want to marry again after his first marriage.
Just 10 days into his relationship with Kirstie, he told her he had no plans to marry, but he wanted to have children with her.
Kirstie later reflected on the moment, saying,
“It was almost like a proposal. I felt I had to say OK. Ben is an amazing person who I love very much.”
Allsopp has openly acknowledged that Ben is the dominant partner in their relationship. In an interview with Easy Living magazine in November 2011, she explained,
“If you do what your partner prefers, he is happy and the children have a great time too. Your relationship with your partner will last far longer than your children are going to be at home. If you let that relationship slide when your children are little, it might disintegrate and you might not be able to rescue it. So at the weekend I let Ben choose what we do.”
She added,
“It’s got nothing to do with feminism, it’s to do with consideration, Happiness is about making the people that you love happy. I do put Ben first, but he also puts me first.”
How is Kirstie Allsopp’s relationship with her stepsons?
Kirstie Allsopp criticizes stereotypes about step-parents, particularly the negative view of stepmothers.
She believes she invests more effort in her stepchildren than in anything else in her life.
Allsopp describes herself as a loving stepmother to her stepsons, Orion and Hal, who have been part of her life since they were young.
In a 2021 interview, she expressed frustration over how people often share negative comments about her stepchildren. She shared,
“I’ve noticed some people are quite keen to pass on poor comments about my stepchildren in a way they never would when it comes to my own sons. They seem to think that because the eldest two are my stepsons, I’ll somehow want to hear bad things about them, which I most certainly don’t. If anything, I’m more protective of them than I am the younger two.”
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