The sprawling farmhouse that Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi bought as their initial home base amid their move to the U.K. has reportedly been engulfed by more floodwater—just five months after the couple listed the property for $30 million.
DeGeneres, 67, and de Rossi, 52, purchased the 43-acre property in June 2024 for $20 million and proceeded to carry out an extensive renovation after ditching the U.S. to start a new life in the British countryside.
Initially, the couple had planned to split their time between the U.K. and their homes in California, buying the Cotswolds farmhouse as a temporary base in England. However, after President Donald Trump claimed victory in the 2024 election, DeGeneres and de Rossi pivoted their plans, opting to make their overseas move permanent.
As a result, they began seeking out a more suitable full-time home—ultimately landing on an extraordinary glass-walled mansion in the same upscale area, which they are understood to have moved into just weeks after work was completed on their first property.
They then put their first U.K. home back on the market for $10 million more than they had purchased it for, despite multiple reports claiming that the dwelling had been plagued by flooding on multiple occasions.
Now, it seems the home has been bogged down in yet another flood, with reports claiming that the area surrounding the dwelling has been seriously impacted by the recent Storm Claudia, which caused the banks of the nearby River Windrush to burst.
Photos obtained by the Daily Mail show the fields in front of the historical stone property, which is known as Kitesbridge Farm, covered in stagnant water as a result of the inclement weather.
It is unclear whether the water has reached the dwelling, which sits on slightly higher ground than the fields that surround it.
Last November, when the area was hit with significant flooding, DeGeneres took to Instagram to hit back at reports that the home had been flooded, despite images showing a similarly watery scene around the stone abode.
“For those of you concerned,” she wrote, “our U.K. farmhouse did NOT flood.”
That inclement weather is reportedly pushing DeGeneres and de Rossi to take even more drastic action—with sources claiming to the Daily Mail that the duo are considering a move back to the U.S., having grown tired of the British winter weather.
“Ellen was adamant that she and Portia were going to stay in the U.K. while Trump was in the White House, but evidently she’s changed her mind somewhat,” an anonymous insider alleged.
“She’s been telling friends they are coming home soon because they miss them and can’t take the winters over there, and Portia wants to act again. They will be here for the holidays and longer by the sound of it.”
Certainly, the property’s listing, which is held by Andrew Barnes and Marcus O’Brien of Sotheby’s International Realty, makes no mention of the flood risk in the area, instead focusing on the property’s many positive attributes, including its “43 acres of rolling Cotswold countryside.”
“The main house unfolds around a central landscaped courtyard, a lovely focal point that brings light and flow to the interiors,” the description goes on.
“A series of generous reception rooms overlook this space, creating a seamless link between indoors and out. Designed for both grand-scale entertaining and relaxing, the layout combines sharp architectural detail with a contemporary eye for volume, proportion and finish.”
However, the one key amenity that the home did not feature was the one that DeGeneres and de Rossi realized they prized most highly when they decided to lay down permanent roots in the U.K.: ample space for de Rossi’s horses.
Speaking to the Wall Street Journal when they listed the property, DeGeneres noted that this was their primary reason for moving to a different home nearby.
“When we decided to live here full time, we knew that Portia couldn’t live without her horses,” she explained. “We needed a home that had a horse facility and pastures for them.”
In a past listing, the property was described as “an eco-farmhouse with the perfect modern rustic interior.” However, one of DeGeneres and de Rossi’s listing agents noted that the farm was somewhat “tired” when the couple purchased it.
But that didn’t stop DeGeneres from falling in love with the home—reportedly paying around $3.3 million over the asking price to secure the dwelling, then enlisting a team of 70 workers to rush through renovations so it would be ready for her and de Rossi as soon as possible.
Those renovations ran into several hurdles, however, with reports surfacing that she had run into resistance from area residents over her plans for the dwelling.
In February, it was claimed that DeGeneres and de Rossi were facing objections from neighbors over their proposed development of the abode, with three local councilors raising concerns that an extension might “increase flood risk in the village” and “disturb Roman remains.”
Meanwhile, other residents expressed concern that the hedge and wire fence at the couple’s home could lead to flooding if trash gets “caught in the fence” and limits the “flow across the field.”
Despite the protests, a spokesperson for West Oxfordshire Direct Council insisted at the time that the Roman remains sit over 200 yards from DeGeneres and de Rossi’s property and that the work was “completed to a high standard.”
“The works at the property involved a single-story extension and garden landscaping,” the spokesperson told the New York Post. “Although the extension technically breached permitted development rights, it was considered acceptable in planning terms.
“As the works were completed to a high standard with no impact on surrounding amenities or other planning concerns, no further enforcement action was necessary, and the case has been closed.
“Regarding concerns about Roman remains on Akeman Street, the site is more than 200 meters away from the Roman road, and no interference was identified.”
The listing agent noted that extensive work was carried out on the dwelling before the couple moved in, describing its original state as “quite tired, with a quite basic finish.”
The Journal reported that DeGeneres and de Rossi were originally given an 18-month timeline in which contractors believed the renovations could be completed—so they brought in “about 70 workers” who were able to finish the work in about 10 weeks.
Yet DeGeneres and de Rossi would end up spending just a matter of weeks living in the completed dwelling before moving to a new ultramodern home that is located about 30 minutes away and has a more Malibu-esque aesthetic than the traditional stone dwelling they first purchased.
Their second home, which DeGeneres has already started showing off on social media, is perched atop a hillside in Oxfordshire—making it much less prone to flooding—and features walls made entirely of glass.
The dwelling boasts five bedrooms and a Japanese-style courtyard. The immaculately landscaped yard leads down to rolling fields where de Rossi’s horses can graze and run.
Its incredibly modern design is in stark contrast to the traditional farmhouse that is now on the market. That dwelling dates to the 1700s and offers six bedrooms, as well as a party barn with its very own pub—ideal for anyone with a passion for entertaining who wishes to host friends away from prying eyes.
The farmhouse also boasts a pool and a gym, both of which are located in another building on the property.
DeGeneres initially revealed her plans to part ways with Kitesbridge Farm in July, when she appeared at an event in nearby Cheltenham, during which she opened up to British broadcaster Richard Bacon about the reasons behind her move to the U.K.
During that chat, she confirmed for the first time that she and de Rossi had made the decision to relocate to England full time after Trump won the election, explaining that they had initially been planning to use their British dwelling for only a few months out of the year.
“We got here the day before the election and woke up to lots of texts from our friends with crying emojis, and I was like, ‘He got in,'” she explained. “And we’re like, ‘We’re staying here.'”
DeGeneres then announced her plans to sell her farmhouse, telling the audience at the Everyman Theatre: “We decided we needed a different house, and now we are selling that house.
“So if anyone wants a house, it’s a beautiful stone farmhouse. To clarify, I’m not selling the new one we now live in. I’m selling the old stone farmhouse.”