As well as unforgettable views, fantastic food and great memories, the Bailiwick of Guernsey has also been home to many a famous face over the years! Read on to discover some of the celebrities you may not have known had lived on our truly special islands.
Oliver Reed - Actor
The late Reed is best known for his roles in Oliver! (1966), Tommy (1975) and Gladiator (2000). However, he spent more than 20 years living in Guernsey with his wife Josephine before his death in 1999, which occurred while on a break from filming Gladiator in Valletta, Malta.
Reed was a popular figure among locals during his time in Guernsey, and after his death was posthumously nominated for a BAFTA Award for his performance in Gladiator.
Jenson Button – Formula One Driver
The 35mph speed limit did not deter British racing icon Jenson Button from moving to Guernsey in 2010, leaving the bright lights of Monaco to enjoy a quieter life in the rural parishes.
Button joined his manager Roger Goddard who already lived on the island, and told the Daily Mail in 2011 that he was far happier pottering about in his new garden than he had been when living in the principality.
Image Credit: RyanBayona
Julie Andrews – Actress
Oscar, Emmy and Grammy winning actress, Dame Julie Andrews is most remembered for her iconic role as Maria the headstrong nun with a heart of gold in the Sound of Music. Listing a few of her own ‘favourite things’, Andrews listed Alderney as her favourite place. She lived on the Island in a ‘hideaway’ cottage with her husband, Tony Walton when expecting her first daughter.
"I cherish every hour there. In my wallet I carry a color snapshot of the cottage and stare at it like a fool when I yearn to steal away and can't. Alderney is my paradise. When there is rain in England, you can count on the sun in Alderney. Spring arrives two weeks earlier, with windblown meadows of maroon and yellow tulips, blue irises, daffodils dancing on the hills."
Image Credit: Eva Rinaldi
Dawn O’Porter – Writer & Television Presenter
Having grown up in Guernsey with her aunt and uncle, Dawn holds fond memories of her childhood spent on the island. The writer and television presenter added the O’ to her surname after marrying The IT Crowd star Chris O’Dowd.
In fact, her husband actually proposed to her on the Havelet sea wall in St Peter Port, overlooking Castle Cornet and La Vallette!
John Bishop – Comedian, Television Presenter & Actor
Scouse funnyman Bishop starred as a regular panellist on Sky’s A League Of Their Own for four series before hosting several shows of his own.
Bishop recently revealed that he had lived in Guernsey in the 1980s, and joked that his time working at a local takeaway had turned him vegetarian!
He returned to the island in 2014 to perform at a sold-out Beau Sejour to 1,600 people, and admitted to the audience that Guernsey had “changed his life”.
Janette & Ian Tough – Comedians
Better known as The Krankies, the Lanarkshire duo spent several years living in Guernsey. The comedy couple featured in several television shows during the 1980s and ‘90s, and became highly popular among the British public.
They performed in Guernsey in the 1970s, before later moving over. They have since returned to the UK and can nowadays be seen starring in several pantomimes around the country.
Image Credit: Dudesleeper
Elizabeth Beresford – Children’s Author
Despite being best known for creating The Wombles of Wimbledon Common, its Alderney where Beresford raised her family.
In fact, Beresford named all the Wombles after significant places in her life and Alderney was no exception, being included as the young and adventurous, distant relative of Great Uncle Bulgaria. Many of her other children’s novels including adventure and mystery book are based around the small Island of Alderney.
