Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi backtrack on plan to stay in UK while Trump is in power as couple plot return to sunny California to escape chilly Cotswold winter

When former talk show host Ellen DeGeneres and her wife, Portia de Rossi, moved to England a year ago, they placed the blame squarely on Donald Trump.

The American television star said she decided to settle in the Cotswolds the day after Mr Trump was re-elected President because life was “better” in the UK.

But now The Mail on Sunday can reveal Ms DeGeneres has told friends she and Ms de Rossi plan to spend more time in sunny California because they ‘miss their friends’ and dread the thought of another British winter.

A source said: ‘Ellen was adamant that she and Portia would stay in the UK while Trump was in the White House, but it seems she has changed her mind somewhat.

‘He tells his friends they’ll be coming home soon because they miss them and can’t spend the winters there, and Portia wants to act again. It looks like they’ll be here through the holidays and longer.’ Ms. de Rossi, 52, is known for her roles on Ally McBeal and Arrested Development.

The couple, who married in 2008, first moved to Kitesbridge Farm in Swinbrook, Oxfordshire, but put the 43-acre estate on the market for £22.5 million in July.

They later moved to a hilltop mansion with enough land to keep horses, as Mrs. de Rossi was fond of horse riding. Ms DeGeneres, 67, said: ‘When we decided to live here full time we knew Portia couldn’t live without her horses. ‘We needed a house with a horse facility and pastures for them.’ The house also has plenty of space for their two puppies, Sport and Jinx, and their big dog, Kid.

But the source said: ‘Ellen has been very clear that they will return to California eventually. ‘They miss the warm weather and their friends.’

The American television star said she decided to settle in the Cotswolds the day after Mr Trump was re-elected President because life was “better” in the UK.

The couple appeared to be adapting well to country life, having been spotted at local pubs including The Farmer’s Dog in Burford, owned by Jeremy Clarkson, and The Falkland Arms in Great Tew, Oxfordshire.

Ms DeGeneres previously explained her transatlantic move: ‘We’re here [to the UK] The day before the election, I woke up to a bunch of messages from our friends with crying emojis and I was like, ‘He got in.’ So we said, ‘We’re staying here.’

He also expressed fears that ‘the Baptist Church in America is trying to overturn gay marriage.’ Ms. DeGeneres made history in 1997 when she came out as a lesbian on the comedy series Ellen.

She later hosted her self-titled talk show, which ended in 2022 due to accusations of bullying and a toxic environment on set.

Ms DeGeneres issued a written apology to staff and made a statement on air, but later claimed the scandal was ‘misogynistic’ and ‘too planned and coordinated’.

He described the controversy as “devastating”, but joked in his 2024 Netflix special For Your Approval that he was “kicked out of showbiz” for being “bad”.

Before moving to England, the TV star made a fortune flipping houses in Montecito, California, an affluent enclave where he counted the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as neighbors.

In March, the couple reportedly liquidated their California real estate holdings, selling a small investment property for $5.2 million.

Last night a source close to the presenter denied the move back to America was permanent. They confirmed the couple would return there for a holiday but declined to say how long the visit would last.