She was the nineties supermodel and it girl whose wild lifestyle made her a staple of the gossip columns and the first name on the guestlist for any high-end party.
Sophie Anderton was friends with the likes of Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell and had a series of celebrity relationships with Chelsea footballer Mark Bosnich, Bros popstar Matt Goss; Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan and old Etonian tycoon Robert Hanson.
But The Daily Mail can reveal that Anderton has put her years of excess behind her and reinvented herself as lady of the manor on a country estate in Ireland.
And the once notorious party queen is now more likely to be found shearing rare breed sheep than stumbling out of a nightclub at 5am.
The Daily Mail visited her new home in County Wicklow to document one of the most extraordinary reinventions by a public figure of recent times – more of which later.
But Sophie’s story as a public figure began in 1996 when aged just she was picked out to be the face – and body – for a major campaign for bra company Gossard.
The firm wanted an ad that would receive similar attention to rival brand Wondebra’s ‘Hello boys’ campaign starring Eva Herzigová two years earlier which had been a sensation.
She had already won a modelling competition at 16 which helped her leave behind a difficult childhood that included a long spell in hospital after a car accident – but it was that Gossard job that made her a star.
Sophie Anderton was a nineties supermodel and it girl who topped the guestlist for high-end parties – but she’s since swapped a life of excess in London for a simpler existence in Ireland
Sophie, 48, has said goodbye to the cocaine-fuelled parties of the nineties – and now lives a more outdoorsy like in County Wicklow in the east or Ireland
Home for Sophie is the majestic Glendalough House which lies at the centre of the 1400-acre Glendalough Estate in Wicklow in one of the country’s most untouched and scenic regions
The former party queen, who would attend events with Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell, is more likely to be found shearing rare breed sheep today
Sophie married Count Kazimierz Balinski-Jundzill (pictured), a Polish born aristocrat, in a simple civil ceremony in Laragh in August 2021
The Herb Ritts shoot of Anderton half naked on grass with the suggestive strapline ‘who said a woman couldn’t get pleasure from something soft?’ had the desired effect – and catapulted Anderton to fame.
She was immediately one of the nation’s most coveted cover girls which in turn ignited a glamorous jet set life of glitzy parties, fashion shows and nightclubs.
Away from modelling, she also appeared on a string of TV shows including Celebrity Love Island, I’m a Celebrity and Celebrity Big Brother.
But there was a darker side to her lifestyle as it was – all fuelled by copious amounts of alcohol and drugs, particularly but not exclusively cocaine.
She would later admit that she was lucky to survive her booze and drug addictions, confessing that she ‘blew £10 million over 13 years’ on drugs, resulting in several stints in rehab and extensive therapy.
Sophie in the lads’ mag and paparazzi days had described herself as a ‘runaway bride’ who was never destined to find true love after breaking off several engagements.
She was only able to finally move on from the dark hedonistic world that she spent much of her life in when she disproved this assertion – and fell in love with Count Kazimierz Balinski-Jundzill, a Polish born aristocrat.
This new relationship with Kaz, as he’s widely known, was the cue for the once troubled model to finally give up her old world, abandoning her old flat on Chelsea’s trendy Kings Road to move to rural Ireland in 2018.
Since then, her life could not be more different.
The couple now share the majestic Glendalough House which lies at the centre of the 1400-acre Glendalough Estate in Wicklow on the east coast of Ireland, one of the country’s most untouched and scenic regions.
Sophie, 48 and Kaz, 57, married in a simple civil ceremony in Laragh in August 2021
The ceremony was followed by a stylish reception on the pristine lawns of Glendalough which had been purchased by Kazimierz’s mother in 1986.
Sophie described it as ‘the happiest day of my life’ and gushed that when it came to love she had finally struck gold.
She said: ‘I’ve waited all my life to meet the person I wanted to marry. Although I’ve loved, I’ve never been in love until now.
‘I never thought marriage was on the cards for me – in fact my nickname was the runaway bride – but Kaz kept telling me it would suit me, and he was right.’
Now her life revolves around the estate.
Sophie and husband Kaz – as he’s widely known – share the majestic Glendalough House, which lies at the centre of the 1400-acre Glendalough Estate in Wicklow
Sophie has said that it wasn’t until she met now-husband Kaz that she had experienced being in love
Their historic eight-bedroom Georgian home – said to be one of the finest in all Ireland – is set amongst magnificent mountains, lush pastures, forests containing giant redwood trees,.
The estate which also has elegant water gardens and a lake is set in the rural hamlet of Annamoe, which is made up of a cluster of homes and one shop selling antiques that rarely opens.
Surrounding it are monastic ruins dating back to the 6th century nestling in an emerald green valley lined with trails that offer stunning views of the nearby Wicklow mountains where sheep and wild deer mill around.
It is here that Sophie is often spotted indulging in her favourite rural pastimes that are light years away from what she once got up to.
Instead of partying hard with the rich and famous at boozy showbiz events she is now fond of hiking alone along the picturesque trails or riding one of her favourite horses.
And now as well as a healthy regime of keep fit and yoga, fresh faced Sophie has also not been shy at rolling up her sleeves up and getting stuck into rural work on the estate – even taking part in sheep shearing.
She recently posted a video on social media beaming with excitement as she spoke about taking part in her first sheep shearing session.
Sophie declared: ‘We spent all the morning getting the sheep in and I had a rather hairy experience separating the lambs from the ewes. That was slightly intimidating, they are so strong, and we are now setting up to shear the sheep and I’m really, really excited.’
County Wicklow, on the east coast of Ireland, is one of the country’s most untouched and scenic regions
The couple’s historic Georgian home is set amongst magnificent mountains, lush pastures and forests containing giant redwood trees
She later wrote: ‘Behind every skein [of wool] there is so much heart, joy , seriously hard work & what truly touched me is how the harvesting of the wool brings such an overwhelming sense of community through this wonderful Irish industry…resurrecting the Irish Wool industry from the ground up. And to see this all happen on our home land made it all that much more special.’
Away from her country pursuits, she is often seen enjoying a non-alcoholic drink in a rustic café and popping into a local shop for provisions in the village of Laragh, which is around two miles away from her stately home.
Locals refer to her as ‘the princess’ but not because she is considered high maintenance or aloof but on account of her good looks.
Terry Rooney, who lives close to the sprawling Glendalough Estate told The Daily Mail: ‘We call her that because she’s very pretty – that’s all.
‘There’s nothing more to it because she’s a lovely, down to earth person and always says hello.
‘You see her out and about hiking or riding and she’s usually on her own.
‘He’s a count, she’s a princess so you could say they are Wicklow royalty.’
Mr Rooney, 67 said that he had no idea about Sophie’s colourful history when she first moved to Wicklow but was told some months later that she had been a famous model.
Sophie’s life now revolves around the estate she shares with Kaz and she hasn’t been shy about throwing herself into rural jobs, including sheep shearing
He joked: ‘We don’t care how famous she might have been, that sort of thing doesn’t impress me or anybody else around here.’
Her shopping habits also appear to have undergone a dramatic transformation.
Local Mary was initially surprised when she first saw Sophie frequenting the Dunnes Store – a popular Irish chain selling food, clothing and general goods at affordable prices.- in the nearby town of Newtown Mount Kennedy.
But she’s now seen her there several times.
She said: ‘It always makes me chuckle. Dunne’s doesn’t have Gucci, Louis Vuitton, or any of that other silly expensive stuff, which Sophie bought a lot of back in the day.
‘But things have clearly changed for the better for her. I think being in Wicklow has done her the world of good.’
Sophie’s new life means she also has children now too – in a sense.
Because in marrying him, Sophie, who had never had children of her own, Sophie acquired four stepchildren from Kaz’s two previous marriages and 16 godchildren.
Among this brood is Charlie’s Angels star Ella Balinska who acted as ring bearer at their wedding – she was born from Kaz’s first marriage to TV chef and fellow model Lorraine Pascale.
Sophie had actually first met Kaz when she was just 19 as he was good friends with her then -fiancé Robert Hanson to whom she was engaged for seven years. But it would be almost 20 years before they met – and started dating in 2017.
Sophie recently posted a video on social media beaming with excitement as she spoke about taking part in her first sheep shearing session
Sophie explained that they had spent the morning getting the sheep in and that she ‘had a rather hairy experience separating the lambs from the ewes’
A year later she decided to give up the city life and make that move to Wicklow to live an altogether more peaceful existence.
On relocating to Ireland Sophie told Hello magazine: ‘It was a big decision, as I had always been a city girl. But I absolutely adore it here. From day one I was welcomed with open arms by the most wonderful people.
‘I find everyone so charming and there is no pretence. It’s a very different lifestyle from living in the city but why would you want to stay indoors when you have such a beautiful place to go exploring.’
Kaz made his fortune in the extractive oil industry but in recent years has discovered a lucrative revenue stream by renting out Glendalough House for high profile movie productions.
Last year, parts of the Netflix series Wednesday were filmed there as was Vikings. The property is currently sealed off for the filming of Young Washington which is due for release next year and stars Ben Kingsley, Andy Sirkis and William Franklyn-Miller.
And indeed it’s understood that Sophie and Kaz have in recent weeks temporarily moved out of the main house and into a cottage on the estate as it’s being used for further filming.
And Sophie has continued to document her happiness with her wholesome new lifestyle.
A post acclaiming her happiness in her new setting came on St Patrick’s Day in March.
Sophie first met Kaz when she was just 19 as he was good friends with her then-fiancé Robert Hanson – but it would be another 20 years before the saw each other again and started dating in 2017
‘My [love emoji] affair with this beautiful country that I am blessed to call my home, only continues to grow with every year,’ Sophie wrote. ‘Truly my home is where my heart is.’
In another post she described ‘looking out onto the ocean, watching the sun set with the wind in my hair’. And Sophie went on: ‘It resonated so deeply with me that it’s the little things in life that truly lead to big beautiful moments & dreams coming true. Today I have felt pure gratitude for all my blessings & prayed thanks fo my husband, the love of my life.’
A local who knows the couple well said: ‘There’s nothing more that Sophie enjoys than spending time exploring Glendalough or being at home with Kaz.
‘It’s a wonderful ending to what was once a very sad story. She’s found true love, a family and peace of mind at last and we’re all very happy for her.’
