There’s nothing quite like spotting a famous person in your area getting a quiet pint or browsing the biscuit aisle in Tesco. And while it’s always best to let them go about their day, there’s a quiet satisfaction when you realize you’re living near a celebrity.
In Wales we have some famous faces who have settled in God’s country. This is true whether they were born here or not because they live the best life in the midst of our wonderful communities or just enjoy the country life.
Let’s see who resists and loves life in Wales. Because, after all, who can blame them?
Read more: Famous People Who Died So Far in 2022
Robert’s Factory
(Photo: Sky UK Ltd)
The rock god Led Zeppelin has a long history with Wales going back his whole life. As a child he would vacation in the country with his parents and had been interested in Celtic history for decades. At the height of Zeppelin’s fame, they began writing their third album, Led Zeppelin III, in a small cottage owned by the Big family that had been immortalized in the Bron-yr-Aur Stomp song.
Biz
(Photo: instagram / bezmondays)
Drive and rocker of Madchester legends, Happy Mondays, Bez is now rocking maracas in the Monmouthshire countryside while keeping bees and making wine with hedgerow ingredients. “It was an inspiration to me – to the way I live and think,” said the 57-year-old who has been the inspiration for songs like Party People 24 Hours.
“It worked out really well for me and made great friends. Everyone treated me very kindly and it was a really fun place to live.” Read our interview with Bez here.
Michael Shin
(Photo: South Wales Evening Post)
Hollywood star, master of imitation, and social hero Michael has a cushion stashed away in the Swansea Valley which he displayed during lockdown with dreamy views of the rolling hills from his swing, and queues at Pontardawe Tesco. He has also been spotted selling Welsh cakes in Aberavon and generously lighting Christmas lights in Ystradgynlais. Explanatory title.
Mark Little
Known to millions as Joe Mangel in the soon-to-be-cancelled Neighbors Mark, he can now be found “mastering a magical acre in the wild” somewhere south of Lake Vyrnwy in Powys. “We are now Anarchists of the Forest and proud to be Wales,” the actor tweeted in 2020, revealing his move to Wales during the first lockdown.
James Dean Bradfield
The quiet and unassuming Manic Street Preachers guy is a world away from his bellboy character at every age when he’s spotted in real life which is why we love him so much. JDB can often be seen enjoying everyday life in a Cardiff neighborhood.
Mark Lewis Jones
(Photo: Richard Swingler)
Another DC guy, Mark is one of those faces that you know because he’s very prolific when it comes to starring in the best TV and movies of the past two decades. The Crown, Outlander, Chernobyl, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Keeping Faith – there’s not much he didn’t get involved in! Read our interview with Mark here.
Charlotte Church
(photo: really)
The multi-talented Charlotte takes advantage of where she lives both in the Vale of Glamorgan, where she loves the sea swimming early, and in Powys, where she is renovating the former Rhydoldog House for fashion designer Laura Ashley. The renovation of the house, which she will turn into a wellness resort and sometimes wedding venue, has been the subject of Really TV, Dream Build.
Julian Louis Jones
Stella, Justice League and Invictus Julian star is originally from Anglesey but now lives in Carmarthenshire where you’ll see him angry at speeding vehicles (quite correctly) or perhaps in stores.
Jerome Flynn
The former Game of Thrones and Ripper Street actor moved to live near St Davids in Pembrokeshire in 2002 because it was “one of the most magical places on the planet”. Since his arrival he has become an important and outspoken member of the community, throwing his weight behind campaigns to save the nearby swimming pool and stop the closing of local schools. He also created a modern sanctuary called Trefacwn in a Grade II listed Georgian mansion which, according to his website, houses “an ancient healing energy observable to all who visit.”
Paul Potts
(Photo: ITV)
Britain’s first Got Talent winner stayed true to his down-to-earth nature by staying in his hometown of Port Talbot. The former Carphone Warehouse employee has bought himself a modern mansion near his tiny listed house with his wife Julie, whom he met online
Kate Humble
Springwatch host Kate moved to Wye Valley in 2010 with husband Ludo Graham and their three dogs Teg, Badger, and Bella. You might see her enjoying the countryside running her organic farm or even enjoying a bit of nudist fun since she moved to the country and she loves to feel like one with nature by having her collection.
She told the Mirror: “I love taking off my clothes and being one with nature. Sometimes I’m overwhelmed by the beauty of the environment around me and it seems like the most natural way to experience it. I said the same thing on Rob Brydon’s show The Guess List – if you’re in a very nice place, something very festive. It’s about a nude dance.”
Bonnie Tyler
The husky-voiced legend is the regular legend about Mumbles, and lives just across the road. Turn around and go, though.