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Leonardo DiCaprio buys £95m Cotswolds castle for new mega movie

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The Oscar-winning actor has completed the purchase of the sprawling estate on the edge of the tiny Oxfordshire village of Upper Fibbingdon-on-the-Green.

According to inside sources today (Wednesday, April 1), the 51-year-old is also enrolling on a drama degree at Oxford University, saying he hopes to “pick up a few acting tips” while also working on other movies such as Once Upon a Time in Cotswolds in addition to The Wolf of Broad Street.

READ MORE: Taylor Swift to study music degree at Oxford University

Leonardo DiCaprio. (Image: Ian West / PA)

His agent described it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Mr DiCaprio to immerse himself in British student life while continuing to develop his craft away from the glare of Hollywood.

The representative added that the star wanted a base that allowed him to live like a local while still having room for friends, family and the occasional A‑list visitor.

Dating back to the 14th century, Fibbingdon Castle is a turreted, honey-stone pile overlooking rolling fields and dry-stone walls.

The property comes with a private cinema, an underground car museum and a disguised helipad in the grounds.

READ MORE: Beyonce visits Cotswolds in helicopter to house hunt with Jay-Z

The choclate-box Cotswolds village. (Image: Newsquest)

Locals say the estate, which has been in private hands for generations, has rarely been seen beyond its high Cotswold stone walls and iron gates.

Reaction in Upper Fibbingdon-on-the-Green, a chocolate-box hamlet just a short drive from Oxford, has been mixed as word of the sale has spread.

Inoa Lye, a retired teacher who has lived in the village for 40 years, was left delighted at the thought of a Hollywood star moving in.

She said: “It’ll put us on the map, won’t it?

“If he wants to pop down to the pub quiz or help judge the village fete cake competition, he’ll be very welcome.”

READ MORE: Ryan Reynolds in the Cotswolds as Blake Lively meets Prue Leith

Fibbingdon Castle dates back to the 14th century. (Image: Newsquest)

Mr DiCaprio will follow in the star-studded footsteps of several celebrities who live in the Cotswolds, including Jeremy Clarkson, Kate Moss, Ellen DeGeneres, and the Beckhams.

Former University professor Telung Porkis, who now lives in Upper Fibbingdon, said: “We’ve already got weekenders, YouTubers and people with more Labradors than sense.

“Now we’re getting the Wolf of Broad Street and his entourage? Pull the other one.”

Farmer Nott Reel said: “As long as he sticks to the footpaths and doesn’t try to land a helicopter in my sheep field, we’ll get along just fine.

READ MORE: Princess Beatrice’s husband gives £3m Cotswolds home life insight

Upper Fibbingdon-on-the-Green in the Cotswolds. (Image: Newsquest)

“If he fancies sponsoring the village football team while he’s here, even better.”

Local author B.S. Tale added: “We moved here for the tranquillity, not for red carpets and camera crews. I’m sure he’s a nice chap, but I don’t want paparazzi hiding in my hedgerow.”

Mr DiCaprio is expected to take up residence later this year, once discreet security upgrades and interior work are completed at the 14th century castle.

The shocking Oxfordshire news comes after it was announced that Manchester City footballer Erling Haaland has signed for Oxford United in a surprise loan move.





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Britain’s smartest teen gets Oxford University place with 23 A-levels

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Mahnoor Cheema, 18, has an IQ of 161 – higher than Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein – and received an unconditional offer to study medicine at the University of Oxford.

After sitting 34 GCSEs, Ms Cheema, who attended Henrietta Barnett School in north-west London, decided she wanted to study 31 A-levels.

But she settled on doing less, after worries from teachers that she was taking on too much.

READ MORE: Holidays cancelled as 11 travel firms collapse and staff lose jobs

Mahnoor Cheema (Image: SWNS)

She completed four A* in her first two months at the sixth form, and this week learned she had achieved A*s in law and history as well as grades in French and physics, according to the Mail Online.

The teen studied psychology, sociology, law, business, accounting, economics, Latin, German, computer science, film studies, politics, classical civilisation, maths, further maths, geography and media studies, physics, chemistry, biology, English literature, film studies, French, statistics and accounting. 

She says she has no regrets and would be “bored and understimulated” if she only did the standard three A-levels – and said burnout is “a choice”.

Speaking previously, the grammar school pupil, from Slough, Berkshire, said: “Absorbing content and analysing and evaluating things comes naturally to me.

READ MORE: Thames Water announces when the hosepipe ban will end

Mahnoor Cheema Mahnoor Cheema (Image: SWNS)

“I’m busy, but I don’t take on so much that it’ll cause me stress or pressure – I try to do everything within my capabilities.

“I have loads of interests; that’s why I wanted to do so many subjects – it doesn’t take that much time or effort.

“I think if you have the capability to do more, it should be explored – I would be bored doing only three subjects over two years.

“Burnout is a big thing for some people, but I’m just motivated and driven, and it doesn’t affect me.

“I see burnout as a choice – it’s not burnout if you enjoy what you’re doing.”

READ MORE: Oxfordshire private school defends use of sprinklers during hosepipe ban

Ms Cheema was born in the UK before moving to Lahore, Pakistan with her parents in 2010.

Her family then moved back to the UK in 2016, and mum Tayyaba Cheema, 44, a full-time mum with a master’s in economics, said Ms Cheema was “quite different” from a young age.

By the age of six, Ms Cheema had read all seven Harry Potter books, and, by 11, had learned the entire Oxford English Dictionary “by heart”.

Ms Cheema, who dreams of doing a TED talk one day, said last year: “I just read the book and it goes into my head.

“I don’t really take notes – I find them to be a waste of time. I don’t think my memory is photographic, but it’s good.”

READ MORE: Jeremy Clarkson says he “won’t get paid” despite 20-hour days

Mahnoor Cheema with her parents at their house in SloughMahnoor Cheema with her parents in their house in Slough (Image: SWNS)

Her favourite subjects were maths and sciences.

Speaking previously, she said: “The main enjoyment for me is studying the subject and the rich knowledge – the exam is just the qualification.

“A big misconception is I’m just an exam robot, but loads of the subjects I do require analysis too.

“For film studies, I have to create a film, edit, write the script. And with English you have to develop your own critical stance.”

READ MORE: Hollywood film director who went to Oxford University dies aged 61

Ms Cheema has an unusual sleep routine, going to bed for three hours after school, getting up at 7pm, and going back to bed at 2am, she said previously.

Tayyaba creates a study timetable for Ms Cheema to keep her on track, making sure she makes time to see friends, travel and enjoy hobbies.

But Tayyaba said there is “no pressure” from her or her husband, Usman Cheema, 49, a barrister, for Ms Cheema to do anything more than what she wants to.

Tayyaba said: “I have given her the choice, I just say ‘whatever you do in life, do it the best you can’.”





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Clarkson, May and Hammond in Grand Tour U-turn and return to show

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Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond are set to return to Prime Video’s The Grand Tour, according to The Sun.

The three stars, known for presenting BBC’s Top Gear, will join YouTubers Thomas Holland and James Engelsman in series seven, which will debut on September 4.

Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond to make cameo in The Grand Tour reboot as they pass the baton to the new presenting trio (Image: PA)

The petrol enthusiasts are expected to help ensure the show’s reboot gets off to a smooth and welcoming start, according to co-creator and TV producer Andy Wilman.

Mr Wilman, who is also executive producer of Clarkson’s Farm, told The Sun that the guys will do cameos as they “pass that baton on”.

This will be the first time in almost two years the Top Gear originals, who went their own ways professionally, will be seen together, after the final Grand Tour episode aired on September 13, 2024.





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Strictly Come Dancing judge opens up on police investigation

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The 61-year-old dancer was on holiday in Madrid when he claims to have been stabbed, had jewellery stolen and strip searched for drugs on his way out of Spain.

Speaking on the Judgemental podcast, which he hosts with fellow Strictly judge Anton Du Beke, Mr Revel Horwood said: “I went on holiday in Madrid and got stabbed, that was nice, and it was stinking hot.

READ MORE: Richard Hammond was given three-month driving ban before clocked speeding

“My jewellery was stolen as well, they ripped my necklace off my neck and gave me a big burn mark…

“It was a razor blade… I was slashed… (in the) stomach coming home from a club, it was probably two o’clock in the morning, but that’s sort of normal, you go out for dinner at 10 or 11.

“But I remember I was dancing at the Lido in Paris, and we went to Madrid for a holiday, so that ended up pretty bad.

“And then when I got back, I got strip-searched. I hadn’t shaved, so I did look a bit of a wreck, I’d been stabbed, I had burn marks all around my neck from where I was, like, attacked.

“And then the French strip searched me down to literally nothing…. they were looking for drugs.”

Revel Horwood went on to say that disaster also struck during a trip to Mombasa in Kenya, where he found out his hotel had burned down when he arrived at the airport.

He added: “I remember flying to Mombasa in Kenya. It was all fabulous, I thought, ‘oh yeah, I’m going on safari, that’s going to be nice’.

“Got out there, arrived, all the hotels and everything were paid for in advance, they’re giving us a like a bus from the airport to the hotel, and they said on arrival, ‘your hotel has burnt down’…

“The hotel was burnt down, and no one bothered to tell us until we actually arrived.

“Anyway, they found us another one, they just shoved us in there, (and) I went on, you know, a very romantic cruise down the River Nile…

“Then the next day we all had to go to the airport and leave all the crews, and one by one, when we’re standing in the queue at the airport, people just were falling to the ground, literally dropping, like boom.”

He went on to say that the sickness was later revealed to be salmonella poisoning from “off chicken” those on the trip had eaten the night before.

Mr Revel Horwood has several links to Oxford, having visited The Jolly Farmers multiple times during his Annie run, earning praise from the owner as being very “charming”.

He has also starred as Miss Hannigan in the production of Annie in April 2023, and directed/choreographed Now That’s What I Call a Musical, slated for March 2025 at the New Theatre.

The new series of Strictly will air on BBC One and iPlayer this September.





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