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'I like to hold court in my kitchen'

PHOTOGRAPHY: Stephanie Rushton

TRISHA GODDARD IS USED TO CHAOS AT WORK AS THE QUEEN OF CONFESSIONAL TV. BUT BACK HOME THE PRESENTER PREFERS TO KEEP THINGS CALM AND UNDER CONTROL...

By Claie Wilson

THEY say the kitchen is the heart of the home – and TV presenter Trisha Goddard couldn’t agree more.

“Other people might relax in front of the telly, but I feel most comfortable in my kitchen,” she says. “I love holding court around the kitchen table, it’s the best place for having a good chat with the girls.”

Trisha, 50, who hosts her own chat show on Five, bought her 17th century Norwich house nine years ago with her husband, Peter Gianfrancesco.

The couple then enlisted a team of 30 people – including two interior designers – to create the perfect home for them and Trisha’s two daughters, Billie, 18, and Maddie, 13.

From the deep red Italian-styled sitting room to the gold Arabic writing covering her bedroom walls, it’s clear Trisha had a great deal of say in the décor.

“We talked through different themes for each room with the designers, but we fought most over the kitchen,” says Trisha.

“The designers wanted it very stylised, but I insisted on personal touches. Peter and I had bought a driftwood shelf with red and green cupboards that the designers hated, but I won in the end,” she says, smiling.

She was also determined to use her knowledge of colour therapy to create a variety of different atmospheres throughout the house.

“Different colours can set moods,” she explains. “We painted family rooms like the lounge and kitchen in light, welcoming colours, but we painted one of the sitting rooms in dark red. We wanted it to be quiet and mainly for adults – that colour is said to repel children, which it does!

“They say home is where the heart is, but I think a lot of the time people need to put more heart into their home.”
Trisha’s fitness DVD, Trisha Rejuvenate, is available now, priced £15.99.

READ ABOUT ANNA RYDER RICHARDSON'S HOME

1. COFFEE MACHINE “This machine — the Jura Impressa Z5 — is my husband Peter’s pride and joy. It cost £2,000, but he assures me it was worth every penny.”

2. SIDEBOARD “The top was part of the original kitchen and is around 200 years old, the rest we had made. It’s a copy of an antique cupboard.”

3. VASE “This is from Habitat — I love the unusual, flat shape. I put fake flowers all over the house.”

4. FISH “My friend Judy Hardy, of the Hardy wine family, is a great ceramic artist. She made this for me. It reminds me of her as it has big, beautiful eyes.”