Escape to the Chateau’s Angel Adoree has revealed she set husband Dick Strawbridge ‘a pregnancy deadline’ at the start of their romance.
The mother-of-two, 42, rose to fame alongside her husband, 61, after Channel 4 documented their move the Chateau-de-la-Motte Husson in the Pays de Loire region of France with their children Dorothy and Arthur, then one and two, and the monumental effort that went into readying the place in just nine months for their own wedding the following autumn.
Angel, who was introduced to Dick through a mutual friend in 2010, told The Sun that just 16 months into the relationship she gave the former lieutenant-colonel in the British Army, a calendar with the words ‘impregnate me by this date’ on.
Within months of setting Dick the strict deadline to have their first child, the couple discovered she was pregnant with their first child Arthur.
Escape to the Chateau’s Angel Adoree, 41, has revealed she set husband Dick Strawbridge, 42, ‘a pregnancy deadline’ at the start of their romance
Dick was separated from his first wife, who he has two adult children with, when he met Angel in 2010.
His son James, 36, now works as a chef, while Charlotte, 34, is a photographer and songwriter.
Speaking about her relationship with her husband, Angel also revealed she argues with Dick ‘every day’.
She added: ‘But you’ve got to be passionate and we are both madly in love so there’s no point getting hung up on silly little details.
Meanwhile Angel said she ‘doesn’t think’ about the couple’s 20 year age gap, calling her husband ‘a doer’
Speaking about their 20 year age gap, the mother-of-two said she ‘doesn’t think about it’, adding that it ‘just didn’t matter’ when they initially met.
She added: ‘Age is but a number, and Dick’s always had a really wonderful energy and he’s a doer.’
Despite the challenges this year has presented with the couple, who often host weddings and British holiday makers at their chateau, Angel also revealed the pair feel lucky.
She said the family enjoyed having her parents Jenny and Steve living with them when Covid-19 initially hit earlier this year, adding that the family feel ‘very blessed’ to have the space they do.
Dick was separated from his wife Brigit, with whom he has two adult children James, 36, and Charlotte, 34, when he met Angel in 2010 (pictured, Dick, Brigit, James and Charlotte)
Angel went on to call the chateau their ‘forever home’, saying that she and Dick would ‘die’ in the French castle.
The seventh series of Escape To The Chateau started earlier this month, and with 3 million viewers the show is one of Channel 4’s biggest hits.
There’s also a daytime spin-off show Escape To The Chateau DIY, in which Dick and Angel offer advice to others who are transforming properties.
Dick and Angel bought the run-down 45-room chateau for just £280,000 in 2015 but are now raking in huge profits by charging couples fat fees for a fairytale wedding at the moated property in the Pays de la Loire region.
The couple rose to fame after starring in Escape to the Chateau, which documented their efforts to renovate a run-down 45-room French castle
The sprawling 19th century building has now been valued at £2million, with Dick and Angel receiving up to £38,000 per wedding. The average price, however, comes out at around £19,000.
The couple – who swapped their two-bed home in east London after searching for the chateau for four years – also cash in through TV rights from Channel 4 for the series and its day-time spin off.
TV presenter Dick and author Angel now employ a PR to market their thriving business empire which includes not just weddings but personalised homeware, gifts, soft furnishings, calendars, diaries and cards.
Despite the challenges this year has presented with the couple, who often host weddings and British holiday makers at their chateau, Angel also revealed the pair feel lucky because it has allowed them to spend more time as a family