Angel Strawbridge, best known for starring alongside her husband Dick Strawbridge in Channel 4’s Escape to the Chateau, has opened up about the isolation she experienced after becoming a mother.
The 47-year-old TV personality revealed how motherhood profoundly changed her life, particularly after the birth of her first child, Arthur, now 12. Speaking on the Sweat, Snot and Tears parenting podcast, she described the period following Arthur’s arrival as a time when she felt notably isolated.
“The biggest change when I did feel a little bit isolated was when I had my first child. Because then I just was like: right, your whole life changes completely,” Angel said.
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Motherhood shifted her mindset significantly, a change that was further influenced by the family’s move to France. “By the time I moved to France I was in a different mental state from before I had children,” Angel shared. “I was ready. And I think that’s the big thing. I think if you’re gonna do a move to somewhere like this, you really have to be ready for it.”
Angel also discussed the challenges of settling into a new community. Despite being a self-described “social butterfly,” she admitted feeling out of place among their affluent French neighbours, whom she privately dubbed the “Chateau Set.” The lavish dinner parties they hosted didn’t appeal to her or Dick, and Angel confessed to feeling uncomfortable navigating this social scene.
Angel and Dick’s relationship began in 2010 after meeting through a shared television agent. They married in 2015 and gained international fame with Escape to the Chateau, a show that chronicles their renovation of the historic Chateau de La Motte Husson in France. Together, they have two children, Arthur and Dorothy, now 11, alongside Dick’s two grown children from a previous relationship.
Although Escape to the Chateau was cancelled two years ago amid reports of disagreements with Channel 4 producers, Angel and Dick continue to share their journey with fans on social media, captivating audiences with their ongoing projects and family life.