Inside Sophie Ellis-Bextor's unusual living arrangement and family life
Sophie Ellis-Bextor's fans can't wait to watch her strut her stuff, belting out Murder on the Dancefloor at the BAFTAs tonight.
The mum-of-five's iconic track features on the stunning film Saltburn, which stars Jacob Elordi and Rosamund Pike and is up for five awards at the star-studded ceremony in London.
When she's not on the dance floor, Sophie, 44, spends time with her husband, Richard Jones, also 44, and their five children. However, the family boast quite an unusual living arrangement with the singer admitting last year her eldest son had moved in with his grandmother, former Blue Peter presenter, Janet Ellis.
So, as we gear up to watch Sophie's sequinned-strewn extravaganza at the Royal Festival Hall, here's the lowdown on the star's life away from the spotlight.
Sophie Ellis-Bextor has been married to Richard Jones for 19 years (WireImage)
The singer with one of her five kids, Ray, in 2015 (PA)'Embarrassing' first meeting with husband Richard Jones
Sophie met her husband, Richard Jones, a bassist who went onto front The Feeling, in 2002. The first words she said to her future spouse are said to be immortalised in neon, and are proudly on display in Richard's studio. “It’s embarrassing,” Sophie told The Guardian: “I said: ‘Nice amp.’”
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The pair were both in their early 20s, and Richard – who would go on to form the band the Feeling with singer, Dan Gillespie Sells – was auditioning for Sophie’s new tour band.
The couple started dating soon after they met in a rehearsal studio in North London and married three years later. However, their world was rocked just six weeks into their relationship when Sophie found out she was pregnant with the couple's first son, Sonny.
Five kids
After welcoming Sonny into the world, the couple went on to have Kit, 15, Ray, 11, Jesse, eight, and their youngest, Mickey, five. Speaking about her first pregnancy, Sophie told the Daily Mail her situation was a bit "unusual" because, aged 24, she was the first of her friends to have a baby.
Sophie shared a rare photo with her five children on her birthday in 2022 (Instagram/@missjanetellis)She continued: "Like for every working parent, it is a bit of an ongoing thing, I don't think you ever have it totally nailed. The hardest part of my job is when I have to be away from them for long periods... the big picture is I really love what I do, and I have worked quite hard to do what I do, I might as well not waste it feeling guilty.
"Even at the age of 44 I am still giving myself permission to do the thing I love because it does mean that there are certain times where I can't be everywhere for my children, but I am a better mum for doing what I do, and I involve my kids quite a lot."
During lockdown, the singer opened up on life with five sons on her Lockdown Parenting Hell podcast. She said: "If I hadn't had five I think I would have just had one. It was all or nothing. I think I am so close to being dead with how tiring it is."
When asked about how her husband Richard feels about them having so many children, she continued: "He is pretty chill... Rich. I don't think he instigated many of the last few to be honest. He just kind of went... ok then."
Sophie reveals eldest son has moved in with her mum
In November, the If This Ain't Love star revealed her 19-year-old son, Sonny, had moved out of the family home to live with her mother, former Blue Peter presenter Janet Ellis, 68, describing the new arrangement as "wholesome".
The If This Ain't Love star revealed her son, Sonny, had gone to live with his grandma in November, 2023 (Getty Images)During an appearance on This Morning, Sophie explained Janet lives 10 minutes away from her, telling hosts Rochelle Humes and Craig Doyle: "My oldest son is 19 now and he's just moved out to live my mum, 10 minutes away, it's quite wholesome!I have five boys but I don't have five of the same person some of them love music and others don't. I have one still at home who never wants to come to any of my gigs. But the majority of them like music actually."
She added: "Five of anything is a lot. I love the chaos of big family life luckily. There are always things happening. One is running another has brought four friends over. It's a good antidote to the darkness sometimes. They never ask 'how did your gig go?' They just tell me about their day and I like that."
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Speaking about her performances she explained she doesn't care "about what people think of my dancing" - after being cruelly mocked for her moves in the past - as she just does what she feels "comfortable with on stage".
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