…or does Herts house more stars?

Our last blog on celebrities making Essex their home named several West Ham players, as well as former Amstrad boss and Spurs owner Lord Alan Sugar, but there’s more to life than football, isn’t there? Now it’s Herts’ turn to come under light-hearted scrutiny and perhaps take us into different realms of fame and spotlight with some female high-achievers.

Upstaging the Noble Lord is a challenge alright, but with Elstree Studios in the county and good transport links to central London, there must be dozens of celebrities drawn to that area. It’s the home of Strictly Come Dancing, The Voice and Who Wants to be a Millionaire? so which stars have made their homes in neighbouring hotspots such as Radlett and (historically in Herts, now just within Greater London) Hadley Wood and Totteridge?

According to estate agent Foxtons, this area on the boundary of Herts and the London Borough of Barnet has been home to numerous celebs. The agent’s research highlighted such familiar names as Zayn Malik of One Direction, erstwhile Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger and Spice Girl turned radio host Emma Bunton as owning properties there. That is quite a line-up, but other famous folk have chosen homes a little bit deeper into Herts.

Singer and TV star Cheryl lived at an ultra-luxury sustainable home near Radlett, reportedly moving out a while ago to be with Liam Payne of One Direction – but for the latest on all that you might try the pages of Hello! Let’s move swiftly back to football, and England forward Theo Walcott. When playing for Arsenal, he bought a grand-designs-style extended chapel near Bramfield, a few miles from our Hertford office, reportedly putting it up for sale at £4.5m after signing for Everton.

So, which county has more celebrity wealth than the other? A billionaire TV-star lord is hard to beat, but maybe Emma Bunton and Cheryl make a winning duo. More evidence would be useful, but not all celebrities advertise their whereabouts, preferring to avoid unwelcome attention from fans when they aren’t working. We suspect that dozens of household names have settled in exclusive areas of Essex and Herts. They deserve privacy, so maybe we’ll never get a firm answer. So, your decision!