Dick and Angel Strawbridge have reflected on the controversial end of Escape to the Chateau , revealing it had been time to walk away from the show.
Channel 4 severed ties with Dick and Angel following an independent investigation into bullying claims after a leaked recording revealed Angel had called a producer a “f***** up little c***”.
Angel has suggested they ended the show on their own terms and removed cameras from their 19th century French chateau, which they converted into a family home, as it was the right thing to do for their children, Arthur and Dorothy.
“Back in 2022, we had a huge conversation saying, ‘Before they get all the pressures that young people have in their lives on them, it was time for us to walk away from the Escape,” Dick told DevonLive.
“They’d had the cameras here all year round and it was exactly the right thing to do. What we’re not against, we haven’t sort of hidden them away from the media. They love it,” Angel added.
The couple revealed that their home has changed a lot since cameras stopped rolling at the Chateau de la Motte Husson three years ago.
Dick said he told “everybody” the show would come to an end at the beginning of 2022 as he felt it was important for Arthur and Dorothy to be able to transition into senior school without added pressure.
The married couple appeared at the heart of the documentary series from 2016 to 2022, tracking their renovation of a 19th-century chateau in Martigné-sur-Mayenne, France.
In May 2023, Channel 4 confirmed that they had ended their working relationship with the couple after nine series of the show.
A Deadline report at the time said that the broadcaster had ordered an independent investigation after the company that produces the Escape To The Chateau franchise, raised concerns about the couple.
Two weeks later, a leaked audio recording emerged of Angel delivering a foul-mouthed rant against one of the show’s producers, branding him a “f***ed up little c***”.
At the time, a Channel 4 spokesperson confirmed that the broadcaster would no longer collaborate with the couple.
Since the emergence of the reports, the Strawbridges have denied that they were dropped by Channel 4 and instead claimed that they chose to end their show themselves.
“We had the most amazing nine series and finished all our commitments. It didn’t really make sense to us,” Dick told The Times.
“Escape to the Chateau had finished on a wonderful high. There was no story. Nothing really happened. We’d stopped. We didn’t necessarily understand what was going on. We weren’t worried about it.”
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