Ellen DeGeneres and her wife, Portia de Rossi, recently faced an unwelcome challenge at their newly acquired home in the English countryside. Their property, located in the Cotswolds and set alongside the River Thames, suffered severe flooding following the onslaught of Storm Bert.
The storm brought days of torrential rain and wind speeds reaching up to 80 mph, causing the river to breach its banks.
Residents described the devastation- “The floodwaters are rising by the hour. This is the worst I have seen it in years,” one told The Mail.
A fresh start overseas
The couple’s move to England, reportedly finalized in October, was confirmed by sources close to DeGeneres. Speaking to People, a source revealed: “Ellen was in England house hunting in the beginning of October. She ended up finding a house that she loved and purchased it shortly after.”
Speculation around their relocation has been rife, with many linking it to their discontent over Donald Trump’s second-term victory in the U.S. presidential election.
According to TMZ, the couple was said to be “very disillusioned” by the election results. DeGeneres, a vocal supporter of Vice President Kamala Harris, had expressed her admiration for Harris during the campaign. In one Instagram post, she wrote, “There’s nothing more powerful than a woman whose time has come! I can’t wait for @KamalaHarris to be our next president.”
While DeGeneres never explicitly stated plans to leave the U.S. if Trump won re-election, the timing of the move has fueled rumors.
New beginnings and a new look
Settling into their new life, DeGeneres debuted a bold transformation during a November 13 live music session at Jeremy Clarkson’s pub, The Farmer’s Dog. The Finding Dory star was spotted with a shorter, darker hairstyle, shedding her iconic platinum blonde locks. Clips from the event shared on Instagram show DeGeneres enjoying the performance alongside de Rossi and friends.
The couple’s move has drawn mixed reactions. British broadcaster Piers Morgan took to X (formerly Twitter) with a mocking response, writing: “OMG… no!” Meanwhile, Elon Musk chimed in after a user connected DeGeneres’ move to her past friendship with Sean “Diddy” Combs. Musk reposted a screenshot of an old birthday message from DeGeneres to Combs, adding an eyebrow-raise emoji.
Despite the chatter, DeGeneres has kept quiet about the speculation, focusing instead on her new chapter abroad. However, the flooding caused by Storm Bert has underscored the challenges of her relocation, proving that even A-list celebrities are not immune to the unpredictability of nature.
