Ex-Gogglebox star Chris Ashby-Steed has shared details of his new life following a heartbreaking family tragedy.
The 45-year-old rose to fame on the voyueristic Channel 4 series between 2013 – 2018 and for the most part, appeared alongside his former flame Stephen Webb.
Following the couple's split, Chris quit the series and began a new life with his 52-year-old husband Tony.
After years spent living in Brighton, Chris and Tony recently made the big decision to relocate 270 miles to a new house in Newcastle Emlyn in rural west Wales.
The big move followed the tragic death of Tony's mother.
Tony's mother died last year following a Covid infection, having previously suffered a stroke and a double bleed on the brain.
Explaining their decision to move in wake of her death, despite having invested deeply in their Brighton property, Chris said the pair needed "a new challenge".
He told Wales Online: "I was getting married and doing the work on the house and then it was like we were trapped.
"I describe it as being trapped in a gilded cage. You can't go out.
"There was the financial side of it as well, because I wasn't able to work and it was just one thing after another and I just felt like I was a trapped bird, I needed to get out."
The pair have since spent a number of hours restoring their new Welsh property over the past three-and-a-half months – including sanding its floors, converting bathrooms and painting.
They have plans to let the house's four guest rooms out through AirBnB in order to bring in extra cash.
Chris has also opened up about how moving to Wales has helped him overcome his struggles with anxiety in wake of his Gogglebox fame.
Chris added: "I felt like I was pretending and it was just this real angst, and I got this real anxiety about different places because it'd be like people would stare at me and be like, 'Oh my God, they're staring at me, what are they going to say?'.
"I felt like I was a phoney.
"In Brighton people would more than likely expect me to be there so being here is quite nice. It doesn't bother me as much."
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