When Natasha Kaplinsky left London’s fast-paced media world behind, she began building a countryside sanctuary designed around family life.
Over the course of 12 years, the former newsreader breathed new life into a neglected 15th-century farmhouse, turning it into an impressive rural home where she could raise her two children.
Trading glamorous footwear for muddy wellington boots, Natasha, now 54, quickly settled into farm life. She previously said the move had brought her enormous happiness and that she “wouldn’t change it for the world”.
The sprawling property is now on the market following Natasha’s announcement that her 20-year marriage to investment banker Justin Bower has ended. The estate holds years of memories for the former couple.
Justin, also 54, is understood to have moved out of the mansion, which has been listed with an extraordinary £7 million asking price.
As Natasha — the first newsreader to command a £1 million annual salary and a former Strictly Come Dancing champion — prepares for a fresh start, Our News Outlet takes an exclusive look inside the luxurious East Sussex estate.
The 15th-century farmhouse once shared by Natasha Kaplinsky and Justin Bower has gone on the market after the couple confirmed the end of their 20-year marriage
At the heart of the nine-bedroom, eight-bathroom estate, set across 200 acres, is a substantial open-plan kitchen, breakfast and dining space billed as the home’s “centrepiece”
Natasha, 54, became the first £1 million-a-year newsreader after joining Channel 5 and has shared glimpses of the Grade II-listed home on Instagram, including this image taken while filming in the kitchen
The country-style manor also provided plenty of room for Natasha’s dogs, who have appeared on her social media relaxing on a leopard-print chair
Natasha and financier Justin, pictured, had been married for eight years when they moved into the estate, which they viewed as an ideal setting for family life
Set amid more than 200 acres of rolling East Sussex countryside, the Grade II-listed farmhouse offers as many as nine bedrooms and eight bathrooms.
The grounds include a swimming pool, tennis court and two independent guest homes. A converted stable and former granary each contain two bedrooms, a bathroom, kitchen and living space.
Described by agents as a “remarkable” residence, the property is also being promoted to affluent buyers in the United States. The sale presents a rare chance to own a traditional country estate combined with carefully designed contemporary additions.
The original Sussex farmhouse retains its period character, with inglenook fireplaces, exposed timber beams and brick detailing. It has been comprehensively renovated while its historic features were restored and preserved.
New Georgian-inspired extensions create additional wings and introduce what the agents describe as a collection of “clever and quirky designs”.
A first-floor passageway connects the historic house with a modern entertainment wing. Inside is a games room fitted with a pool table, dartboard and fully working jukebox.
From the games room, a doorway leads into a private cinema. On the opposite side of the walkway sits an opulent poker room, complete with an illuminated bar stocked with premium malt whiskies and honey-based spirits.
A sizeable gym and garage occupy the ground floor directly beneath the entertainment wing.
Within the original farmhouse, the ground floor includes a grand entrance hall, living room, drawing room, television room, dining room and study. There is even a dedicated dog room with its own separate entrance.
The highlight, described as the ‘centrepiece’ of the house, is the vast open-plan kitchen, breakfast and dining room.
A view of the living room in Natasha’s idyllic rural retreat with her dogs
The kitchen features stylish grey cabinets along with two islands and marble-topped counters, and of course, the middle class staple – an AGA cooker
In 12 years, the former news anchor transformed the ‘tired’ farmhouse into an incredible home
It features stylish grey cabinets along with two islands and marble-topped counters and there’s an AGA for cooking.
Uniquely in one corner of the space there’s a traditional-styled sweet shop.
The feature, separated by glass doors, includes stacks of shelves filled with confectionery and an old fashioned till.
On the first floor, the grand principal bedroom has an en suite bathroom while an open-plan dressing area, with views across the gardens, includes a stand-alone metal bath.
There are four further bedrooms upstairs, two of which are en suite, and another bathroom.
Set in an area of outstanding natural beauty, the estate – made up of fields, parkland, ancient woodland and gardens – includes two streams and seven ponds including one set near the house with its own pontoon.
Another quirky feature is a giant 26ft-tall tree house complete with monkey bars, a swing and rope bridge.
The swimming pool has a large patio with a pool house and al fresco dining area and there are a number of cosy seating areas around the garden along with another stand-alone bath which is in an open-air area hidden behind a wall.
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The land is so vast that 106 acres of the estate could be sold off via separate negotiation.
In 2014, Natasha said that the couple had decided to sell their home in Fulham and move to the country as she thought it would be a better place to bring up their children, who are now teenagers.
After casting aside her house-proud self to embrace the mud and chaos of it all, Natasha regularly updated fans with her countryside adventures.
Describing herself on Instagram as ‘a happy farmer’ at one point she told how she had collected 33 ‘pets’ including a herd of alpacas, pygmy goats, sheep, chickens and a cow called Mabel to go along with a cat and numerous dogs.
Shortly after moving in Natasha said: ‘I am amazed by how much pleasure all this is giving us – and I have learned a lot.
‘I have learned that it is OK for life to unfold at a slower pace; that something as simple as a sunset can make you happier than you thought possible.’
Natasha and Justin had been married for eight years when they moved there.
They tied the knot in 2005 after a whirlwind romance of less than three months while Natasha was a BBC Breakfast presenter.
The couple exchanged vows at St Margaret’s Chapel, in the grounds of hotel and private members’ club Babington House, near Frome, Somerset, in front of 100 friends and family members.
The bride had said she would be happy to be married in jeans but wore a white satin gown by Kruszynska Couture.
The original Sussex farmhouse that comes with a swimming pool and vast grounds, is described as being ‘fully refurbished, beautifully restored and carefully preserved’
Just three years ago, Natasha told how the couple were considering renewing their wedding vows.
She said: ‘I’d love to. We did go to our local church on our tenth wedding anniversary with renewal in mind, but our children were screeching, so we’ve put it off for a bit.’
But the first hint that things may have changed between them emerged in May when it was revealed the couple had put their ski chalet in the French Alps on the market for £2.7million.
Earlier this month the split was confirmed when the couple told Our News Outlet: ‘We can confirm that we have made the joint decision to end our marriage and our focus now is on our children.’
One neighbour of the couple said: ‘It’s an awful shame. They’ve been a fixture here for years and were really friendly to everyone. We’ll be sad to see them go. It’s quite upsetting really.
‘He moved out a while back. I’ve spoken to some of their friends and she’s devastated. I don’t know the truth of why they split so I’m not going to speculate.
‘There’s a lot of tattle tales who like to discuss people’s private lives but I’m not one of them.’
Another local resident added: ‘The house went on the market just the other day. It’s an incredible place, absolutely astonishing. They’ve done so much work on it. It seems the split is irreconcilable. It happens, I’m afraid, that’s life.’
After leaving school Natasha, who largely grew up in the Sussex countryside, studied English Literature in Oxford, before starting out in TV presenting, a youth chat show for Granada Talk TV in 1996, alongside co-host Sacha Baron Cohen.
She moved to presenting early morning news bulletins at Meridian and within six months was co-presenting its evening news programme Meridian Tonight.
In 1999, Natasha moved on to ITV’s regional programme London Tonight, from where she was poached by Sky News in 2000.
Two years later, in 2002, she joined the BBC where she worked as a presenter on Breakfast with a salary of £210,000.
It was in 2004 that Natasha was persuaded to take part in the BBC’s new show, Strictly Come Dancing.
However, the sprawling mansion that Natasha ‘wouldn’t change for the world’ comes at a price; £7million to be exact, so it is only suitable for buyers with deep pockets
Partnering Brendan Cole, with whom she reportedly had a romantic relationship, she went on to win the opening series.
Natasha was so popular that she agreed to co-present the first half of the second series with the late Sir Bruce Forsyth, when regular presenter Tess Daly went on maternity leave.
Natasha, now an ambassador for Save the Children, went on to present the BBC’s Children In Need telethons and anchor the BBC’s New Year’s Eve show.
She was poached by Channel Five News in 2007 on a reported record salary of £1million per year.
The job coincided with the birth of her two children and Natasha presented her final bulletin for the network on December 23, 2010, before returning to make programmes for ITV.
Natasha – who was awarded an OBE in 2017 for services to Holocaust commemoration and education – moved on to her current role as president of the British Board of Film Classification in 2022.
