The Real Housewives of Cheshire star Nermina Pieters-Mekic has given two stray puppies a new life after moving into her dream house in Cheshire.
Nermina and her footballer husband Erik Pieters found the perfect permanent home after renting together for five years - and with a large garden it's ideal for their adorable pups Luca and Archie, who Nermina found abandoned on the streets during a visit to Bosnia.
The couple were already proud owners of Simba, a four-year-old Boxer, and Blue, a five-year-old Maltese, when Nermina spotted the strays.
Singer and model Nermina, who was on a promotional trip to her birth country, organised vaccinations, paperwork, passports and microchipping for the puppies at a shelter, and arranged for them to be transported from Bosnia to her parents' house in the Netherlands.
She then drove through the night to collect Luca, a German Shepherd cross, and Archie, a retriever, who are both thought to be six months old.
"I found a private transport company and they dropped them off at my parents' house in the Netherlands and I drove from 2am to 7am to collect them," recalled Nermina.
"We had only moved into our house two days earlier.
"Because I was born there I know how many stray dogs there are. I would love to have my own charity one day.
"I've always said I wanted rescue dogs because they deserve a chance."
Two days earlier Nermina and Erik had moved from Alderley Edge into their new house in Wilmslow.
They're having a downstairs room transformed into a gym, another into a cinema room with an aquarium, a third into a bar area where they can host parties and model and singer Nermina will have her own recording studio.
Nermina, 29, and Erik, 31, who signed for Burnley FC this summer after playing on loan for French team Amiens, are hoping to have the makeover completed by Christmas so they can host both their families over the festive period.
Previously they rented from Nermina's property landlord former co-star Rachel Lugo and her ex John.
"It's a nice big solid house," she told us.
"We fell in love with the location and size-wise we can always have family and friends over to stay. It's a perfect fit.
"Erik played for Stoke and then we lived in France so we were travelling back and forth.
"Then he signed for Burnley in the summer and we decided to stay here in Cheshire.
"We have our dogs and we have horses. This is my home and I feel at home here."
Nermina became a Real Housewife in 2017 and was one of the main stars in series six and seven.
She couldn't film as much after moving to France, and now appears as a guest star on the ITVBe reality show which follows the lives of a group of wealthy and glamorous women living in Cheshire.
She said: "When I left it was on a good note. I saw Hanna this week and I'm in a good place with all the girls.
"I'm not full time on the show now but I'm not dragged into the arguments. It's the best position to be in because it gets crazy."
