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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
John Bett

Inside Bradley Walsh's love life and rarely-seen wife who starred in iconic music video

With almost 40 years on the fame clock, The Chase host Bradley Walsh is something of a national treasure.

But behind the glitz and glamour of his game shows, the Watford-born star lives a quiet life, tucked away in a corner of Essex with his wife, Donna Derby, and their son Barney.

Donna, who is a choreographer and former professional dancer, once appeared in a music video for Robert Palmer's hit, Simply Irresistible.

She first met Bradley in 1992 and they tied the knot in 1997.

Bradley is married to Donna Derby (Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)
(PA)

And when he joined Coronation Street in 2004, he said it was Donna who convinced him to take the leap.

"She is the one who recognised what it could do for me even though it would mean being apart," he said.

Bradley also has a 40-year-old daughter, Hayley, from a previous relationship and recently became a granddad when she welcomed her first child.

Meanwhile, the star lives in a £2.5million barn conversion in Epping, Essex, and occasionally gives fans a glimpse into his luxury home.

In an announcement about an award nomination on Instagram, Bradley showed fans a peak of his kitchen. In the video, white walls and a glass railing could be seen near a mezzanine kitchen.

The eatery appeared to feature a white island unit and black leather stools, along with chrome accessories and flowers.

His life in Essex is worlds away from his humble beginnings.

Bradley lives in a stunning farmhouse (Instagram)

"I was born in Watford, and grew up in a council house," Bradley previously told The Telegraph . "My mother was a single parent, who had to struggle hard to make ends meet. At one point she was holding down three different jobs. It was a happy childhood, but we certainly didn’t have a great deal of money."

In 2021, the TV presenter reportedly forked out nearly half a million on some land which has a golf club on one side and the M25 motorway on the other near his Epping mansion.

He was said to have splashed out approximately £400,000 on a plot of land, estimated to span about 44 acres.

It was unclear what the star was planning to do with the forestry but a bulldozer was spotted on the land, as well as a lorry unloading clay earth shortly after the purchase.

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