Tan France has been living in the States for 16 years, but that doesn’t mean he has lost his love for his native England. In fact, he’s currently on the hunt for a London base.
The Netflix star has been based in Salt Lake City with his husband Rob for almost two decades and recently the pair became parents for the second time, welcoming a son named Isaac, via surrogacy, in June.
Although they’re nearing the end of construction of their “dream home” in Utah, France has been enjoying more work opportunities in the UK, having recently launched his new series, Say Yes To The Dress with Tan France, on Quest.
With work commitments bringing him back over this side of the pond, the Queer Eye star, who has teamed up with LEGO for their Play is Your Superpower campaign, tells The Standard that he’s eyeing up a place in the capital.
The fashion expert shared: “I always dreamt of living in America, and I didn’t think building a home was a possibility in my lifetime, but I feel very proud that I get to build my dream home.
“But does that mean that Salt Lake is my home forever? To a certain extent, yes, I pray that I will always have this home and that my kids will inherit this home.
“But my husband and I are actively looking at property in London, and if I continue to work in London – right now I have a show in the UK and I hope to have a second one there next year – if that continues, yes, we will have our second home in the UK.”
Originally from Doncaster, France, 40, became an American citizen in 2020.
And while he has pledged allegiance to the star spangled banner, the TV star isn’t giving up his British vernacular or love of traditional English fare anytime soon, especially with his eldest son Ismail, two.
“I try my very best not to change my vocabulary around my children in particular,” he said.
“I take my eldest back every three to four months so we can be around my family and be around Brits where I come from.
“I have introduced him to Greggs and Marks & Spencer, and he loves those.
“I also try to make a Sunday roast as often as I can, which ends up being once a month because I travel a lot, but I’m talking Yorkshire puddings, sage and onion stuffing, like proper English-style Sunday roast.”
In fact, France wishes he could get his hands on British-adopted favourite Nando’s more often, admitting he “struggles without it”.
Aside from home comforts, the fashion designer has enjoyed much success since finding fame in 2018 as one fifth of the fab five on the Netflix reboot of Queer Eye.
In the show’s seven seasons, they have helped people and communities all over America.
They have even brought the programme to Japan and Australia – leaving fans wondering if they’ll ever visit the UK for a special instalment.
And the viewers aren’t alone: France revealed he’s been begging show bosses to bring the series to the British Isles, but admitted that fans shouldn’t hold their breath.
He explained: “I have petitioned every darn year for the last six years to try and get Netflix to let us do Queer Eye in the UK.
“I don’t think it is going to happen which is so sad, I don’t know why they won’t let us do it.
“We did an international season in Japan, and a couple of episodes in Australia the first year it came out. I don’t know why we can’t do it in the UK but that is my wish.”
France’s chat comes as he teams up with LEGO to launch their Play is Your Superpower campaign, which aims to inspire families to re-prioritise playtime and emphasise its critical importance in childhood development.
The presenter, who was immortalised as LEGO figurine back in 2021, said he was inspired to team up with the brand “to encourage parents to understand the importance of play in their child’s development and really re-frame what play means and is really important”.
