When former talk show host Ellen DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi moved to England a year ago they put the blame firmly on Donald Trump.
The American TV star said she decided to settle in the Cotswolds the day after Mr Trump was re-elected President because life ‘is just better’ in the UK.
But now The Mail on Sunday can reveal that Ms DeGeneres has told friends she and Ms de Rossi are planning to spend more time in sunny California because they ‘miss their friends’ and dread the thought of another British winter.
A source said: ‘Ellen was adamant that she and Portia were going to stay in the UK while Trump was in the White House, but evidently she’s changed her mind somewhat.
‘She’s been telling friends they are coming home soon because they miss them and can’t take the winters over there, and Portia wants to act again. They will be here for the holidays and longer by the sound of it.’ Ms de Rossi, 52, is best known for starring in the TV shows Ally McBeal and Arrested Development.
The couple, who married in 2008, originally moved to Kitesbridge Farm in Swinbrook, Oxfordshire, but put that 43-acre estate on the market in July for £22.5 million.
They then moved into a hilltop mansion with enough land to keep horses, as Ms de Rossi is a keen rider. Ms DeGeneres, 67, said: ‘When we decided to live here full time we knew that Portia couldn’t live without her horses. We needed a home that had a horse facility and pastures for them.’ The home also has plenty of space for their two puppies, Sport and Jinx, and their older dog, Kid.
But the source said: ‘Ellen was very clear that they’re coming back to California sooner rather than later. They miss the warm weather and their friends.’
Ellen DeGeneres (left) and her wife Portia de Rossi (right) moved to England a year ago, putting the blame firmly on Donald Trump
The American TV star said she decided to settle in the Cotswolds the day after Mr Trump was re-elected President because life ‘is just better’ in the UK
It seemed the couple had been adapting well to country life, having been spotted in local pubs including The Farmer’s Dog in Burford, owned by Jeremy Clarkson, and The Falkland Arms in Great Tew, Oxfordshire.
Ms DeGeneres previously explained her transatlantic move by saying: ‘We got here [to the UK] the day before the election and woke up to lots of texts from our friends with crying emojis, and I was like, ‘He got in’. And we’re like, ‘We’re staying here’.’
She also referenced her fears that ‘the Baptist Church in America is trying to reverse gay marriage’. Ms DeGeneres made history when she came out as a lesbian in 1997 in her sitcom Ellen.
She later hosted her eponymous talk show, which ended in 2022 amid accusations of bullying and a toxic on-set environment.
Ms DeGeneres issued a written apology to staff and made an on-air statement, but later claimed the scandal felt ‘misogynistic’ and ‘too orchestrated, too coordinated‘.
She described the controversy as ‘devastating’ but, in a 2024 Netflix special, For Your Approval, joked that she ‘got kicked out of show business’ for being ‘mean’.
The TV star built a fortune before her move to England, flipping homes in Montecito, California, a wealthy enclave where she counted the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as neighbours.
In March it was reported that the couple had liquidated their California real estate holdings, selling a small investment property for $5.2 million.
A source close to the presenter last night denied the move back to America was permanent. They confirmed the couple were returning there for the holidays but declined to disclose how long the visit would last.
