Emily in Hampstead? Lily Collins waves farewell to LA as she lines up return to London so her daughter can go to a UK school
In Netflix’s hit series Emily in Paris, Lily Collins’ character is drawn to the romantic French capital.
But in real life, it seems the actress’s heart lies in London.
Lily, 36, plans to move from Los Angeles to the capital with her husband, film director Charlie McDowell, and their one-year-old daughter Tove.
Sources say she has been eyeing a return to the UK since ‘falling in love’ with London during her 12-week run in West End thriller Barcelona at Christmas 2024.
Now pop star Phil Collins’ daughter Lily is hoping to make the move permanent while she considers school options for Tove, who was born via surrogate in January last year.
A source said: ‘Lily grew up in rural England with many happy memories and wants the same for her daughter.
‘But he fell in love with London instead of the countryside because he has so many friends and family there.
‘It is particularly influenced by the north, such as Hampstead and Queen’s Park.’
Lily Collins (left) plans to move from Los Angeles to the capital with her husband, film director Charlie McDowell (right) and their one-year-old daughter Tove (centre).
Sources say the actress (pictured in December) plans to return to the UK for Christmas 2024 after ‘falling in love’ with London during her 12-week run in West End thriller Barcelona
A source said: ‘He particularly enjoys the north like Hampstead and Queen’s Park.’ Pictured: File photo of Hampstead Heath
Lily will join the long list of people who fled the US to the UK during Donald Trump’s presidency.
Barbie star Ryan Gosling lives in Hampstead, while former chat show host Ellen DeGeneres has moved to the Cotswolds.
Lily splits her time between Copenhagen, where she and McDowell, 42, own a £1million house, and Los Angeles, where her mother Jill Tavelman, an antique shop owner, lives.
She and McDowell sold their Los Angeles home in Pasadena, where Meryl Streep is next door, for £4.5 million last year.
Lily grew up in an eight-bedroom house in Guildford before her parents divorced in 1996 when she was seven.
He later moved between West Sussex, where his father lived, and Los Angeles before settling in the US full-time to pursue his career.
While spending time in London last January, she said it ‘felt like home’. He said: ‘Most of all, I like sitting in front of a double-decker bus, on the upper floor.
‘I don’t have a plan of where I want to go, I just sit and take in all the sights and people.’
Emily in Paris follows Emily Cooper, an American marketing executive working in the French capital. Series four saw him move to Rome.
When asked last year if there would be an Emily in London, Lily said a spin-off ‘would be fun’. Perhaps this spinoff has moved a little closer, as Lily is ready to make London her home.
