Reality TV stars Dick and Angel Strawbridge are a perfect match – even if they are from two different worlds. “Country boy and East End girl – surely there’s a song in there somewhere,” Angel jokes of their very opposite upbringings.
“It just doesn’t make any sense for us to have met each other and fallen in love,” adds Dick, 64, who grew up in Northern Ireland, far from where Angel, 45, was raised in London.
As fate would have it, though, their “lives came together” in 2010, when they were introduced by a mutual friend. Six years later, the world fell in love with them when they became the stars of British TV series Escape to the Chateau, – which saw them take a rundown property in the small rural community of Martigné-sur-Mayenne, France, and turn it into their family’s forever home.
Now, the pair – who are parents to son Arthur, 10, and daughter Dorothy, 9 – are taking their story on the road with a live North American show. Kicking off in L.A. on Feb. 24 – and with a stop in Toronto along the way – the Dare To Do It tour wraps in NYC on March 11 - and tickets are still available!
WATCH: Dick and Angel Strawbridge give Canadian and US fans a sneak peek of the tour
“It’s called the Dare to Do It tour because we did something very silly ... buying a chateau,” Dick admits with a laugh. “But we did it because we knew it was right.”
As they get ready to take their fun-filled family show across the pond, the charming couple tell HELLO! Canada how it all began ...
You two have been on quite the adventure since moving to France in 2015. What inspired such a major life change?
Dick: Well, the problem was that I was a country boy living on a farm in Cornwall and she was in the east end of London. And if you’re a country boy going to London, it’s a bit smelly. And if you’re a city girl going to the country, there are a lot of cows!
Angel: We never really decided where we would like to live as a couple. After being together for a year, we went on holiday to Carcassonne, France, and we couldn’t believe how cheap the properties were there.
Dick: At this point, we had decided we were going to be together and we were going to have kids. We were looking to the future and just liked the idea of having a simple little life [in the country].
Angel: We looked for four years to find the right home. But it was love at first sight when we did.
Did you ever think Escape to the Chateau would become such a hit?
Angel: To be honest, we filmed for the first year not even knowing if it would make it to television! And we never in our wildest dreams thought that we would do nine seasons.
Your Dare to Do It tour has already taken you across the U.K., as well as Australia and New Zealand. What’s been the most memorable show so far?
Angel: Each place has its own special memory. When we have a wedding here at Chateau, it’s a tradition in France that you get a napkin and you swirl it around [when you welcome the bride and groom into the wedding breakfast].
At our show in Hobart, Australia, someone who had followed along with Escape to the Chateau had made a couple of thousand hankies. And as we came out, the whole audience was waving them around. For the first time, I was so taken aback that I cried on stage. It was lovely.
What are you most looking forward to as you head to North America?
Angel: We’re really looking forward to coming to Canada. We’ve crafted the tour so that we spend the most time in Canada because we’ve got family there. We’re going to go up to Blue Mountain and do some [snow tubing] with the kids – which we’re excited about – and hopefully see some wildlife!
Back at the chateau, what does a perfect day look like for you and the kids?
Angel: We play a lot of games. Every Strawbridge is stupidly competitive. [Laughs] We also go for picnics by the river and love going to the seaside.
Dick: Arthur’s favourite thing is digging in the sand. And it doesn’t matter what the weather is or the temperature of the water, he’s always happy to get his bodyboard out and get in. You know, we do the simple things, and I think that’s quite special. We’re just happiest being together.
Dare To Do It is Dick and Angel's first ever North American tour. Find out where you can see them here.
Like this story? Sign up for HELLO! Canada's newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.
This article first appeared in HELLO! Canada magazine.