Escape to the Chateau stars Dick and Angel Strawbridge have revealed that their son Arthur is heading for an exciting new chapter in his education.
In a new interview, the couple revealed that the ten-year-old will start senior school next year, which will bring “different pressures”.
Whilst chatting about Arthur and Dorothy, the reality stars revealed that their children are at the front of their minds when they’re making big decisions, including when they chose to bring Escape to the Chateau to an end after nine series.
“The decision-making we do is very much about what is best for us and the family,” Angel told The Sunday Times magazine. “Every year we asked, ‘Is it going to be all right for the family?’, ‘Is this going to work?’.”
“[Arthur and Dorothy] are still young, but Arthur starts senior school next year. And they have different pressures on them, with social media and everything else.”
© Escape to the Chateau/InstagramDuring a recent appearance on ITV’s Lorraine, the couple expanded on their decision to wrap up the reality programme after six years, and also addressed their reported fallout with Channel 4.
“It’s interesting because we were on Lorraine at Christmas last year talking about the show coming to an end,” Dick told host Christine Lampard. “We made a decision that last year was going to be the finale and we told everybody. So, when the stories came out and everybody started talking about the show ending, it wasn’t news, it was something that had happened a long time ago in the past.
“And we made the decision just not to get involved in any of the conversations.”
© Ken McKay/ITV/ShutterstockAngel added: “Our Queen said, never complain and never explain. And that was the best way because we had already made that decision as a family to bring the show to an end.”
Dick went on to explain that the show was always due to end as Arthur and Dorothy got older. “We know that Arthur and Dorothy would get to an age… they were so little and didn’t really know what was going on,” he said. “We’re living in such a different world now and for us as a family, we finally caught up with the weddings from COVID.”
© Channel 4Escape to the Chateau first aired back in 2016 and documented the Strawbridges as they renovated their derelict 19th-century mansion.
Five months after the show ended, it was reported that Channel 4 had cut ties with the reality stars following an independent investigation into Dick and Angel’s conduct on the series.
According to Deadline, the production company behind the show, Two Rivers Media, raised concerns about the Strawbridges and said it would no longer work with them.
MORE: When will Escape to the Chateau’s Dick and Angel Strawbridge return to our screens?
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Since the final episode of Escape to the Chateau aired in December, the family have published a new book and announced tours of their theatre show in the UK, America and Canada.
© Dick and Angel StrawbridgeAngel and Dick have also launched a podcast with Global Player, titled ‘Dick & Angel’s CHAT…EAU’, which will record the couple as they discuss “the week, the children, and the things that have made us smile”.
The first episode will be available on Wednesday 1 November.
