Not only have Dick and Angel Strawbridge provided plenty of inspiration when it comes to decorating and making your home beautiful, they've motivated many couples to escape to their very own Chateau!
One of those couples, who appeared in the spin-off show Escape to the Chateau: DIY, is Debbie and Nigel, who upped sticks and moved to France last year. Get to know the couple and their story here...
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Escape to the Chateau's Debbie and Nigel bio
Debbie and Nigel, both aged 57, only met five years ago, but their dream to move away from the UK and live the Chateau life in France was clearly something they shared an instant passion for.
It seems that the pair were well set up for their adjustment, however, as Nigel lived in France for four years during the nineties and was fluent in the language. Prior to moving, Nigel ran a dairy farm in France and Debbie worked in the food industry and also worked on a farm in Yorkshire.
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© Photo: InstagramDebbie and Nigel moved to France last year
Escape to the Chateau's Debbie and Nigel journey to France
The couple found the Chateau of their dreams in April 2018 and immediately put an offer in. Soon after, their fantasy became reality and the pair moved in last year. It seems the couple had a few words of advice from Dick and Angel, with Debbie telling the Yorkshire Post: "They were great and they inspired us to just have a go.
"We have tried to be like them, in that we have done almost all the work needed on the house ourselves. Nigel and I were working hard and we were also helping his parents move to France, so we were back and forth across the Channel a lot. We both love France and so we started looking for somewhere to live that we could run as a business."
Nigel and Debbie's gorgeous Chateau Gioux is a nineteenth century build in the commune of Saint-Pierre-Bellevue in central France.
© Photo: InstagramNigel and Debbie's gorgeous Chateau Gioux
Escape to the Chateau's Debbie and Nigel on the show
The pair were approached to join the show earlier this year. Debbie told Complete France: "I'm a big fan of the programme and I follow the Facebook page, and I posted a picture of the château when we bought it saying that we were hoping to move in the following year. One of the producers then got in touch and asked if we'd like to talk to them about appearing on the show."
They added: "It was great and really interesting. Nigel has found it a bit frustrating that I’m pushing him to do things but being filmed does spur you on! It was quite hard to have the cameras there all the time, especially as we had guests and lots of other things to do, but it does make you get things done and to the best of your ability too."
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