Former sprinter falls for garden (but it’s just not big enough)

FORMER Olympic sprinter Linford Christie was taken by a Shiplake property during his appearance on Celebrity Escape to the Country.

Christie, 64, one of the most decorated sprinters in British history, appeared on an episode of the BBC real estate programme which aired on Thursday last week.

He was joined on the search by his daughter Briannah, a law graduate, as he looked for a home further into the countryside than where he currently lives in Gerrards Cross.

With a budget of around £2 million the show’s presenter, Alistair Appleton, showed Christie around several in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire.

The goal was to find a home within a 45-minute commute of Brunel University in Uxbridge, where he coaches its athletics team.

After viewing a modern bungalow conversion in Saunderton and a period house in Lane End, Appleton showed Christie around an Edwardian house in Shiplake. Appleton said: “I am going to be really honest – I really love this house so I am going to cry if you hate it.”

Built in 1909, the detached family home is from the Arts and Crafts era of the early 20th century and featured an open plan dining room, kitchen and living space as well as two reception rooms and five double bedrooms.

Christie seemed taken by the house, which was valued at £2 million. He said: “It seems really nice. When you walk in, at first sight the garden is beautiful.”

After viewing the inside the pair were particularly taken by the two-storey glass extension housing the dining room.

Christie said: “There is something in this house for everyone — I would move in. I’m not even going to lie, I would definitely consider it.”

Briannah said she liked that the house had the same feel as the family's current home.

After viewing a mystery house in Cholsey as their final stop, the pair sat down to rank the homes they had toured with the Shiplake property coming out on top.

He concluded that while he had enjoyed the Shiplake property for its interior, his dream home would combine that with a bigger garden, similar to the final property in Cholsey. As part of the programme, Christie visited Cliveden House and enjoyed a trip along the River Thames in a rare early 20th-century electric canoe.

Christie, who is one of the most successful track stars of all time and during his career, became the only British male sprinter to hold the European, Commonwealth, world, and Olympic 100m titles simultaneously in 1992.

Reflecting on his career, he said there were aspects of the sport he missed. Christie said: “Even though I am coaching and everything else, it’s as close as I think you can get — but it's not quite the same.

“I was hoping to pass the profession on to my kids but no. As much as I love the sport, it’s something that you can’t make anyone do. They have to love it because it’s hard.

“I miss the competition but I don’t miss the training because of what you have to put your body through sometimes.”

At the end of the programme Christie joked that he was after Appleton’s job. He said: “I want to be looking in people’s houses and being nosy — we thoroughly enjoyed it.”

You can watch the episode on BBC iPlayer.