Why Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi Left California to ‘Start Over in England’

Sitting side-by-side along the railing inside the cozy stone tavern, Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi were clearly having a wonderful night. A video posted on social media shows the smiling couple tucked between other stars, including singers Natalie Imbruglia and James Blunt, as they watched a November 13 acoustic set by Irish band the Corrs at the Farmer’s Dog, a pub in rural Burford, England.

But Ellen and Portia weren’t just visiting. After decades of calling California home, the comedian, 66, and her wife, 51, have quietly packed up and moved more than 5,000 miles to a new property nestled in the heart of the British countryside, sources exclusively tell In Touch. They have retired to the Cotswolds, an area about 90 minutes outside London known for its rolling hills, expansive meadows and bucolic views. Two years after ending her eponymous Emmy-winning talk show on the heels of a workplace scandal, “Ellen wants a fresh start,” says an insider. “She felt it was time to leave the U.S. behind and start over in England.”

RUSTIC RESET

Portia, who stepped away from acting in 2018 to start an art curation business, has been supportive. Sources say the couple had been planning to relocate for a while and that the outcome of the November election only confirmed to them that they’d made the right decision. “Ellen and Portia feel things back home have become very toxic, especially with all the personal attacks and cancel culture,” says the insider. “Ellen wants peace.”

She’s been hinting about a great escape for months. “This is the last time you’re going to see me. After my Netflix special [debuts in September I’m done,” she told an audience during a July stop of her farewell stand-up tour. “I’m going bye-bye.”

Just before wrapping the tour in August, she and Portia sold their Carpinteria, California, estate — the second property in the area they unloaded this year — for $96 million. A third home they own in nearby Montecito will reportedly hit the market soon.

So far, she has no regrets. “Ellen loves the laid-back country life. It’s the perfect balance of nature, good people, old-world charm and a stress-free feeling she doesn’t get in the U.S. anymore,” says the insider. “She and Portia also have friends nearby.”

The Cotswolds’ celebrity residents include David and Victoria Beckham, Kate Moss and Simon Cowell. Though Ellen and Portia will “probably still keep a place in California,” says the insider, “they are really excited about starting a new life in England. It already feels like home.”

A bonus? “Ellen and Portia’s marriage has been invigorated by the move,” says the insider. “Their bond is stronger than ever.”