Kirstie Allsopp, 53, ‘secretly’ marries partner as she shares real reason for keeping ceremony under wraps
Television presenter Kirstie Allsopp has married her partner of 21 years, Ben Andersen, in a secret ceremony at London’s historic Grosvenor Chapel in Mayfair.
The Location, Location, Location star, 53, and property tycoon Andersen, 64, exchanged vows on Thursday in front of 70 close friends and family members.
The couple, who share two sons, Bay, 18, and Oscar, 16, kept their wedding plans closely guarded, with most guests only learning of the nuptials three days before the ceremony.
Allsopp confirmed the news on Instagram, sharing that it was “a huge privilege listening to your son give a speech at your wedding”.
The Grosvenor Chapel holds special significance for Allsopp, as it was where her parents and grandparents were married, and where a memorial service for her late father, Charles Allsopp, 6th Baron Hindlip, was held in June 2024.
The venue is also recognisable to film fans as the location where Keira Knightley and Chiwetel Ejiofor’s characters wed in Love Actually.
“To marry in the same church that my parents and grandparents married was always my hope and luckily I already know that we did live happily ever after,” Allsopp told The Mail on Sunday.
The couple had initially hoped to keep the ceremony entirely private, but released their own photographs after learning a paparazzi photographer was present.
The bride wore a stunning gold sequin and tulle Oscar de la Renta dress, purchased just two weeks before the wedding, with sleeves added specially by the designer’s team who believed it was for an awards ceremony.
The 40-minute service included The Beatles’ All You Need Is Love – a nod to Love Actually – and the hymn I Vow To Thee, My Country.
Most guests believed they were attending Ben’s 64th birthday celebration until the last moment.
The short notice meant some important guests couldn’t attend, including Allsopp’s Channel 4 co-host Phil Spencer, who has presented Location, Location, Location with her for more than two decades.
Paying tribute to her son and those close to her who made her big day so special, Allsopp penned on Instagram: “Its a huge privilege listening to your son give a speech at your wedding, which is one reason Ben & I are looking so cheery in this picture taken by @catherinebradleyphotography.
“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, amongst them the ladies @oscardelarenta who put sleeves on a dress I bought in the sale two weeks ago , and its not all about the girls, Ben had a new suit made by the amazing @josephdarcystudio, Thanks so much Jack.
“Carla @teasmelondon who always works miracles, Harriette and her amazing team @studioviola_ who did the flowers so beautifully, @marbleprivate for whom nothing was a problem @mountstreetprinters whose patience & wise advice is extraordinary, @juliabellmakeup who didnt know it was my wedding until she met me @theconnaught two hours before, and all the home team who make everything we ever do possible, and without whom nothing would occur…
“And of course The Reverend Stephen Coleman and Rosslyn and Richard at The Grosvenor Chapel who made the whole thing happen in the first place. To marry in the same church that my parents and grandparents married was always my hope and luckily I already know that we did live happily ever after . (As ever, these thanks are totally genuine and no discounts were sought or offered).” (sic)
Allsopp and Andersen first met at a party for a prospective Conservative MP in 2004, where they were introduced by Ben’s ex-wife Theresa, whom Allsopp knew from their school days at Bedales.
The presenter has previously addressed rumours about their relationship’s beginnings. “I did not steal him,” she told the Evening Standard in 2012. “Ben’s wife, whom he was already separated from, introduced us.”
Until recently, Allsopp had been content being “happily unmarried”. In 2020, she wrote in the Daily Mail: “I have no problem being a middle-aged girlfriend with an even older middle-aged boyfriend.”
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The couple split their time between homes in Devon and London.
Allsopp is best known for presenting Channel 4’s Location, Location, Location alongside Phil Spencer for more than 20 years, as well as other property shows including Love It or List It UK.
She has also earned the nickname “queen of craft” through programmes such as Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas and Kirstie’s Celebrity Craft Masters.
The presenter is the eldest daughter of Charles Allsopp, 6th Baron Hindlip, a former chairman of Christie’s, who passed away in 2024.
Her siblings include TV presenter Sofie Allsopp and Henry William Allsopp, the seventh Baron Hindlip. Designer Cath Kidston is her cousin.